World out of balance : international relations and the challenge of American primacy / Stephen G. Brooks and William C. Wohlforth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brooks, Stephen G., 1971-

Contributor:

Wohlforth, William Curti, 1959-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Foreign relations--2001-2009.

United States.

International relations.

Balance of power.

World politics--21st century.

World politics.

Globalization--Economic aspects.

Globalization.

Physical Description:

xiv, 226 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2008]

Summary:

World Out of Balance is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the constraints on the United States' use of power in pursuit of its security interests. Stephen Brooks and William Wohlforth overturn conventional wisdom by showing that in a unipolar system, where the United States is dominant in the scales of world power, the constraints featured in international relations theory are generally inapplicable. In fact, the authors argue that the U.S. will not soon lose its leadership position; rather, it stands before a twenty-year window of opportunity for reshaping the international system.

The authors examine arguments from each of the main international relations theories-realism, institutionalism, constructivism, and liberalism. They also cover the four established external constraints on U.S. security policy-international institutions, economic interdependence, legitimacy, and balancing. The prevailing view is that these external constraints conspire to undermine the value of U.S. primacy, but Brooks and Wohlforth show that, in actuality, the international environment does not tightly constrain U.S. security policy. World Out of Balance underscores the need for an entirely new research agenda to better understand the contours of international politics and the United States' place in the world order.

Contents:

Introduction

Realism, balance-of-power theory, and the counterbalancing constraint

Realism, balance-of-threat theory, and the "soft balancing" constraint

Liberalism, globalization, and constraints derived from economic interdependence

Institutionalism and the constraint of reputation

Constructivism and the constraint of legitimacy

A new agenda.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780691126999

0691126992

9780691137841

0691137846

OCLC:

183926381