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):

Balance of power.

International relations.

World politics--21st century.

World politics.

Globalization--Economic aspects.

Globalization.

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

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 226 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

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. Although American primacy in the world is unprecedented, analysts routinely stress the limited utility of such preeminence. 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, greatly restricting the range of security policies the country can pursue. 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 index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612964732

9781282964730

1282964739

9781400837601

140083760X

OCLC:

707067718