Realism Reconsidered: The Legacy of Hans Morgenthau in International Relations

by Michael Williams (Editor)

Overview

Realism remains the most important and controversial vision of international politics. But what does it mean to be a realist? This collection addresses this key question by returning to the thinking of perhaps the most influential realist of modern times: Hans J. Morgenthau. In analyses of issues ranging from political philosophy, to international law, to the impact of nuclear weapons and the challenges of American foreign policy, the authors demonstrate that Morgenthau's thinking exemplifies a rich realist tradition that is often lacking in contemporary analyses of international relations and foreign policy. At a time when realism is once again at the centre of both scholarly and political debates, this book shows that the legacy of classical realism can enrich our understanding of world politics and contribute to its future direction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780191537165
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	11/15/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	433 KB

About the Author

Michael C. Williams is Professor in the Department of International Politics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. His publications include The Realist Tradition and the Limits of International Relations (2005) and Culture and Security: Symbolic Power and the Politics of International Security (2007). He is currently completing a book (with Rita Abrahamsen) entitled Security Beyond the State: Global-Local Private Security Networks in International Politics.

Table of Contents

About the Contributors     viii
Introduction   Michael C. Williams     1
Morgenthau, agency, and Aristotle   Anthony F. Lang, Jr.     18
'The Twilight of International Morality'? Hans J. Morgenthau and Carl Schmitt on the end of the Jus Publicum Europaeum   Chris Brown     42
Carl Schmitt and Hans Morgenthau: Realism and beyond   William E. Scheuerman     62
The image of law in Politics Among Nations   Oliver Jutersonke     93
Realism, tragedy, and the anti-Pelagian imagination in international political thought   Nicholas Rengger     118
The balance of power in Politics Among Nations   Richard Little     137
Hans J Morgenthau, realism, and the rise and fall of the Cold War   Michael Cox     166
Hans Morgenthau and the world state revisited   Campbell Craig     195
Morgenthau now: Neoconservatism, national greatness, and realism   Michael C. Williams     216
Texts, paradigms, and political change   Richard Ned Lebow     241
Index     269

Editorial Reviews

"Williams and his contributors make an exciting and innovative contribution to Morgenthau scholarship.... Though there has been much work on Morgenthau and the problem of international morality, there has not been a volume that ties Morgenthau so directly into constructivist theory."—Ethics & International Affairs

From the Publisher