Book Description
A rich and diverse collection of theoretical essays and excerpts, this volume divides and organizes the material by category for clarity and comprehensiveness. Selections range from the works of Thucydides to Alexander Wendt and comprise a rich and thorough overview of International Relations literature.
Sections are organized by categories related to Globalism, Realism, and Pluralism.
For anyone with an interest in International Relations Theories.
Customer Reviews:
This book didn't have to be this difficult.......2006-02-24
I am a joint law student/international affairs masters student. Surprisingly, after a year and a half of law school, I have never had a textbook as difficult to read and understand as this one. The authors take complicated ideas and make them even more complex.
It is almost as if the authors are competing with the experts in IR they include in this book, trying to see who can use more obscure words and incomprehensible sentences.
Reading this book, I keep telling myself, I could write this sentence or that sentence clearer. The authors should fire their current editor for the fourth edition and hire someone who is fluent in English, not technobabble.
The Glossary is sparse and the index is lacking many key ideas and phrases discussed in the textbook.
Professors, if you want your students to truly understand IR, pick another book which explains IR theory more clearly and without such convoluted jargon.
Terrible book.
A Decent Overview.......2004-11-01
This text seeks to combine a standard IR Theory reader with a IR theory general text. In its first endevor, this book excels. The texts chosen are from among the leaders of thier fields and are summerized clearly and cogently by the editors. In its second task, however, this book fails quite notably. The text written by the authors regarding Realism, Pluralism, and Globalism is poorly written and to broad to be of much use, although thier description of realism is far better than thier description of the others. I would reccomend this book only because of the excellent collection of articles found within. For a general IR theory text, I would look elsewhere.
An Excellent Graduate Level Textbook.......2002-03-22
Kauppi and Viotti's work gives a comprehensive comparison between the contending theories of International Relations. Each section is followed by key readings which helps clear any misunderstanding and introduces to the student some of the finest texts supporting each perspective. Truly informative, great book. Recommended to Political Science graduate students everywhere.
Basic about realism, pluralism, globalism.......1997-03-08
A very good comparative analysis of the international relations theory. The authors first introduce each theory and briefly characterize it, describe characteristic authors and explain the advantages and disadvantages of realists, pluralist and globalist. Following each brief review of a theory are a number of essays of typical authors. I personally used this book to prepare for my pre-exams in political science and there's nothing that comes close to it
Book Description
America today faces a world more complicated than ever before, but both political parties have failed to envision a foreign policy that addresses our greatest threats. As a result, the United States risks lurching from crisis to crisis. In Ethical Realism, Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman, two distinguished policy experts from different political camps, have joined forces to write an impassioned manifesto that illuminates a new way forward.
Rather than blindly asserting a mixture of American power and the transformative effects of democracy, Lieven and Hulsman call for a foreign policy that recognizes America’s real strengths and weaknesses, and those of other nations. They explain how the United States can successfully combine genuine morality with tough and practical common sense.
To achieve these goals, Lieven and Hulsman emphasize the core principles of the American tradition of ethical realism, as set out by Reinhold Niebuhr, Hans Morgenthau, and George Kennan: prudence, patriotism, responsibility, humility, and a deep understanding of other nations. They show how this spirit informed the strategies of Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower in the early years of the Cold War and how these presidents were able to contain Soviet expansionism while rejecting the pressure for disastrous preventive wars a threat that has returned since 9/11.
Drawing on this philosophy and these historical lessons, Lieven and Hulsman provide a set of concrete proposals for tackling the problems we face today, including the terrorist threat, Iran, Russia, the Middle East, and China. Their arguments are intended to establish American global power on a more limited but much firmer basis, with greater international support. Both morally stirring and deeply practical, this book shows us how to strengthen our national security, pursue our national interests, and restore American leadership in the world.
Customer Reviews:
PTibbits review of Ethical Realism.......2007-07-24
I was very impressed with this book. It took a liberal and conservative expert and found those concepts they could agree on. They present a review of the foreign policies that succeded and those that failed since WWII. They then present a view of how we should proceed in the future and concepts we should keep in mind as we try to determine how to react to events that occur. Although I did not agree with everything they said, I found their reasoning sound and it gave me a lot to think about. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in foreign policy, especially the candidated for president.
assumes you know your world history.......2007-07-19
and since i'm not an expert - found it difficult to follow until i got into the author's pattern. They take a position - anti administration - then offer an alternative - then try to give a historical reference to prove their point. Maybe it's intentional - to shake up the reader - but you're either already "for" or "against" US policy -and this book isn't going to change your mind.
If you're "for" don't bother with it - it's too high brow and insulting to work for that purpose.
But if you're looking for a conforting companion to bash the US thought process then you'll cheer while reading.
Very provoking both ways in that it puts in black and white, what none of the mainstream media will.
Not particularly profound.......2007-07-04
Should we let facts get in the way of our daydreams?
This is a question posed by Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman early in this book. And, of course, their answer is yes. Not surprisingly, I agree. Let's see if they are willing to do that themselves.
Well, Iraq is a big mess right now. And the authors do say that some folks overrated our attempts to introduce democracy there. That's fair. They also say that in addition to criticism, we need effective counterproposals. That's fair as well.
There's a good discussion of the Marshall Plan. I agree that this plan was both moral and realistic.
And there is a discussion of the Bush administration record in reacting to the events of 9/11/2001. Is our security better now? Actually, not much. We have also increased our budget and undermined (via the Iraq war) our "ability to intervene or even threaten anywhere else." These are good points.
What about "pre-emptive" war. As the authors explain, Harry Truman said that all such wars prevent is peace. But perhaps that quote is overrated. There may indeed be a time and place where pre-emptive wars make sense. On the other hand, I agree with the authors that its recent use has been of dubious merit at best.
Could America become a garrison state? Could we lose our values? Yes. That is one of the threats we face. And the authors explain that there still are threats of direct attacks on the United States, and that our most important statecraft task is to reduce that risk. I think that is an exaggeration, as appeasement is a risk as well, and we need to be careful about engaging in it just to try to reduce the risk of an immediate attack.
The authors want peace in the Levant. And they have some recommendations on a peace settlement. While a peace settlement such as the one they suggest might be fine if it were agreed to and implemented, I think they ought to take an opportunity right here to let facts get in the way of their daydreams.
"Regional concert" in Iraq seems to me to have even more of the same problem. Yes, we may have a duty to make matters better, not worse. But I see no reason to think that this "concert" will help.
Anyway, the book is okay, but not really special.
A blend of common sense and ethical realism .......2007-04-10
America faces a more complicated world than ever, but both political parties have failed to develop a foreign policy to address the increasing crises overseas. ETHICAL REALISM: A VISION FOR AMERICA'S ROLE IN THE WORLD hones in on the fallacies and repair of America's foreign policy, making it a top recommendation for college-level collections and public libraries alike. The authors call for a revamped foreign policy which takes advantage of America's real strengths and weaknesses, explaining how the U.S. can achieve morality overseas through a blend of common sense and ethical realism as set out by Reinhold Niebuhr and others.
A New Vision out of a Great Tradtion of American Statesmanship.......2007-04-03
This is an important book for a clear historical overview of the driving strategic philosophy which drove American Presidents from Truman and Eisenhower to Reagan and Bush I. That the "containment policy", so adroitly developed by George Kennan, was a success, is quite an understatement.
The authors well note that, the tremendous patience and wisdom which drove it, was not perfectly executed, and there were missteps, but that, by and large, variants of this policy were quite successful in confronting Communisim without the resort to thermonuclear war. The authors, themselves from opposite poltical camps, note that that to achieve success, presidents were often required to defeat poltical extremists, both from the left, and from the right...even, and I might add, especially, from their own parties......for almost 50 years.
There is an intersting chapter on Prudence, with reference to Augustine. Prudence, that first of the Cardinal Virtues of practical and perfectable right decision making, is correctly understood by these authors, as the central dictum of the "wisdom of the west", drawn as it is, from the first philsophical sources of the Greek, Roman and the Judeo-Christian traditions.
The prudent nation, and that nation's statesmen, know how the world is objectively, not how they might wish to it be, and not out of the blinkers of an ideology, but out of a nitty-gritty, clear eyed, and perfectably objective underestanding of reality. This is the prudence of a George Kennan in the contemplation of Stalin.
Out of this five fingered grasp, as enlightened by a clear awareness of our spiritual values, comes policy rooted in ethical realism. This is the process and policy that these authors wish for America....and it can be felt in each page of this book.
Their message for today is that Kennan's "ethical realism" can and should be applied to our own now post-communist world. The examples they give are thought provoking....but more than this, they give Americans hope to once again re-discover the true diplomatic path...that old path of ethical realism....for the good of our country, and for the good of our world.
Book Description
Using case studies that look at China, the Korean peninsula, Russia and Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and international institutions, Michael Green uncovers a more Japanese foreign policy in Japan. Though it still converges with the US on fundamental issues, it is increasingly independent. While remaining low-risk, it is more sensitive to balance-of-power issues. It is still reactive, but it is far less passive. Green argues that this emerging strategic view, what he calls 'reluctant realism,' is being shaped by a combination of changes in the international environment, insecurity about national power resources, and Japanese aspirations for a national identity that moves beyond the legacy of World War II.
Customer Reviews:
an excellent book on Japanese foreign policy.......2001-06-29
This is an excellent book on Japanese foreign policy written by someone now working for the National Security Council. It draws upon on copious research including interviews conducted by the author, as well as Japanese and English language secondary source materials. Green convincingly argues that Japanese foreign policy is particularly driven by parochial domestic considerations, and in this respect the book is quite timely in light of the political changes occurring in Japan. I learned quite a bit from reading this book -- even regarding issues on which I thought my own prior knowledge was significant.
Customer Reviews:
Overrated.......2002-10-31
Section of Realism is extraordinary, but the chapters Socialism and Liberalism are somewhat weak.
Excellent Foundation for Understanding International Rel........2000-05-19
I recommend this book to any student of International Relations or Political Philosophy. Doyle does an excellent job of describing the foundations of the main theories in the discipline of International Relations. By starting with the philosophers behind each school of thought, he reveals the often misunderstood assumptions made by scholars in each school. Thus, he shows us why scholars in International Relations frequently talk past each other when discussing a topic.
great synthesis of philosophy and international relations.......2000-02-12
Before reading Doyle, I had never really come across a good survey of political philosophy which logically relates the classical political theories to their practical corollaries in international relations. I must say I am very much impresssed with Doyle's effort and am delighted to find how well he is able to put all theories (he deals with realism, liberalism and socialism) in an illuminating perspective, and how he is able to ingeniously distinguish the different strands within the respective political theories. What I like in particular is how he associates certain strands of thinking with certain philosophers, and how he then combines and compares these different views within a larger theoretical perpective, thus providing a clear overview on the theories at large. I must admit only having read parts of it, most of the section about realism, all of it on liberalism and some of it on socialism, but still think I have a good enough idea to be able to comment on this book. I initiallty felt inclined to give this book only four stars, since it only deals with a small number of thinkers and theories, but realising the vastness of the subject, I felt I could not withhold Doyle's book the 5th star. So for those seeking the broader view of international relations, going beyond the confines of conventional IR theory, Doyle's book is an absolute eye-opener.
A Splendid Survey of International Relations.......2000-02-06
This extraordinary book by Dr. Doyle is a must read for those Christians that wish to understand the international system of the relations among nations. This book helps to clarify the fundamental perpspectives that policymakers hold about the nature of the relations among nations and the policies that follow as a result of such perspectives. For Christians to be effective peacemakers such information is critical for understanding the international system and planning for effective pastoral strategies that can help to move the world toward greater justice and peace. Clearly this book is not a substitute for Christian moral reflection and action, but it can help one to understand some of the forces and ideological frameworks within the international arena that motivates people and nations to take actions that lead to war or peace.
Book Description
Current debates about the nature of international politics have centered on the clash between supporters and critics of realism. The Perils of Anarchy brings together a number of recent essays written in the realist tradition. It includes realist interpretations of the collapse of the Cold War order and of the emerging order that has replaced it, the sources of alignment and aggression, and the causes of peace. A final section provides a counterpoint by raising criticisms of and alternatives to the realist approach.
Contributors: Charles L. Glaser. Christopher Layne. Peter Liberman. Lisa L. Martin. John J. Mearsheimer. Paul Schroeder. Randall Schweller. Stephen M. Walt. Kenneth N. Waltz. William C. Wohlforth. Fareed Zakaria.
An International Security Reader
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book.......1999-09-02
This International Security reader is a great collection of the recent work in the realist tradition in International Relations. Here you can read the "classic" authors (like Waltz and Walt) and the "new generation" (Schweller - excellent - and Zakaria). The introduction, written by the editors of the volume, is wonderful: it really "maps" realism and its authors. There is also two essays by John Mearsheimer, the "hardcore" realist and his gloomy "Back to the Future" article. Great book and certainly worth the money. This is the best book in the "International Security" readers series.
Book Description
-- International Affairs
In light of the recent demise of the Soviet Union and the subsequent withdrawal of Soviet forces from Central Europe, the debate between neoliberal institutionalism and neorealism has taken on a new relevance. Neorealism and Neoliberalism concentrates on issues of conflict and cooperation with their implications for post-Cold War international relations.
Essays by some of today's most prominent political theorists debate the importance of anarchy versus the importance of interdependence in determining state behavior; the feasibility of international cooperation; the impotance of absolute gains versus relative gains as incentive for cooperation; the trade-offs between economic welfare and military security; the importance of state intentions versus state power; and the significance of the emergence of numerous international regimes and institutions.
The collection features:
-An introduction by David A. Baldwin;
-Robert O. Keohane on the realist challenge after the Cold War;
-Joseph M. Grieco on relative gains and the limits of cooperation;
-Helen Milner on anarchy in international relations theory;
-Stephen Krasner on national power and international cooperation;
-Charles Lipson on international cooperation in economic and security affairs.
Cutting to the heart of the debate over the possibility of a "new world order," Baldwin's collection is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the post-Cold War world.
Customer Reviews:
The Problem of Cooperation in International Politics.......2002-04-14
David A. Baldwin's edited work of Neorealism and Neoliberalism is composed of twelve chapters. Arthur Stein remarks that states take decisions independently in anarchic international system while institutions/regimes necessitate joint decision making in this process. Stein cited regimes as a solution to common cooperation problems in the prisoners' dilemma settings. He also argues that regimes create an environment, in which states find rational incentives for cooperation since rational self-interest would lead to joint decision making through regimes. It is also remarkable in Stein's chapter that he holds power as determinant of regime transformation, however, he also ties changes in knowledge and technology as important sources of regime change. Charles Lipson in "International Cooperation in Economic and Security Affairs" basically points out that international cooperation in economic areas is relatively more easier than in security issues since relative gains calculations are dominant in security-military realm while absolute gain assumptions are more likely to happen in economic affairs. On the other hand, Lipson also argues that neorealism generally ignores the role of interdependence in international cooperation. In fact, this tendency is one the fundamental differences between neorealists and neoliberals. While the former generally assumes that interdependency lead to conflict among states the latter sees it much more as facilitating factor for international cooperation. Robert Axelrod and Robert D. Keohane's "Achieving Cooperation under Anarchy: Strategies and Institutions" has important insights about the problem of cooperation. They mention three factors that directly influence the probability of cooperation among states. They are mutuality of interests (payoff structure), the shadow of future, and the number of players (sanction problem). These considerations, no doubt, are about game theory driven settings among states. In addition, they emphasize that states should not be considered under just one game setting; rather multilevel games in various issue areas take place among states. Duncan Snidal also emphasizes the difference between two-state and multi-state settings in the seventh chapter. Moreover, Axelrod and Keohane attribute significant importance to perceptions and misperceptions for international cooperation. In the following chapter, Joseph M. Grieco makes a critique of neoliberal institutionalism (NLI). He generally sees NLI as unsuccessful in their criticisms of realism. However, he separates sociological institutionalists and knowledge driven institutionalists from NLI as well competitors with realist approach of institutions and international cooperation in general.There are two important arguments that deserve attention in Helen Milner's chapter. First of them, the separation of domestic and international politics is not so useful in studying the problem of international cooperation since sharp distinctions are hardly possible. The second argument is that overemphasizing anarchy is dangerous, it serves much more to conflict not to cooperation among states. The distinguishing discussion in Robert Powell's chapter is that his argument on iterated/repeated games. He claims that iterated games do not ensure cooperation unlike to some optimistic neoliberal institutionalists argue. Michael Mastanduna in his part (ch.10) makes the same argument as Helen Milner does: the separation of domestic and international politics is hardly possible since domestic and international settings intermingle with each other. (p.263) The other important argument in this chapter is that the decreasing external security threats will lead to the rise in relative gain calculations among states.When one looks the emerging problems between the US and the EU and Japan in the aftermath of the Cold War this argument has been seemed to be relevant. R. Keohane and J. Grieco extend the debate of international cooperation in the last two chapters. Keohane as a neoliberal institutionalist puts institutions on the center for the problem of cooperation among states. He argues that institutions change conceptions of states' self-interest throughout `bounded rationality'. States then find rational incentives for cooperation in serving their self-interests. He also reiterates the neoliberal institutionalists' central argument; relative gain assumptions make cooperation more difficult. On the other hand, Grieco from the realist side boldly argues that institutions do not mitigate anarchy's constraining effect. Both Keohane and Grieco, however, agrees that the future of the European Union will be a very good test case for neorealist and neoliberal institutionalist debates on international cooperation. Overall, Neorealism and Neoliberalism offers a good epistemology of neorealist-neoliberal debate, hence it should be a must reading in IR theory.
Average customer rating:
- A fascinating topic poorly handled
- Not bad
- Pure Torture
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Fact and Method
Richard W. Miller
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Epistemology
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ASIN: 0691020450 |
Book Description
In this bold work of broad scope and rich erudition, Richard W. Miller sets out to reorient the philosophy of science. By questioning both positivism and its leading critics, he develops new solutions to the most urgent problems about justification, explanation and truth. Using a wealth of examples from the the natural and the social sciences, "Fact and Method" applies the new account of scientific reason to specific questions of method in virtually every field of inquiry including biology, physics, history, sociology, anthropology, economics, psychology and literary theory.
For the past quarter-century, the philosophy of science has been in a crisis brought on by the failure of the positivist project of resolving all basic methodological questions by applying absolutely general rules, valid for all fields at all times. "Fact and Method" presents a new view of science in which what counts as an explanation, a cause, a confirming test or a compelling case for the existence of an unobservable is determined by frameworks of specific substantive principles, rationally adopted in light of the actual history of inquiry. Although the history of science has usually been the material for relativism, Professor Miller uses arguments of Darwin, Newton, Einstein, Galileo and others both to undermine positivist conceptions of rationality and to support the positivists' optimism that important theoretical findings are often justifiable from all reasonable perspectives.
"Fact and Method" includes new accounts of causation, explanatory adequacy, approximate truth and confirmation, together with a defense of scientific realism freed from the positivist assumptions that Professor Miller locates on both sides of the realism controversy. Throughout, the new philosophical ideas are applied to specific topics confronting social scientists or natural scientists, for example: value-freedom, methodological individualism, functional explanation, the nature of evolutionary
Customer Reviews:
A fascinating topic poorly handled.......2006-10-08
Ostensibly, Miller is interested in the ways in which political biases can and should influence research methodology, and in ways of removing bad, often politically motivated methodology and encouraging methodology that is good, either politics free or (he thinks more often) motivated by correct politics. Certainly the influence of politics is quite pervasive, and those who claim to be "above" politics are more often than not disingenuous.
However, this goal is ill-served by Miller's placing of the discussion in terms of the dispute between old-fashioned positivism and more recent scientific realist philosophy of science. While Miller discusses many, many examples of what he sees as poor (conservative) science, and of what he sees as better (Marxist-leaning) science, in no case does he convincingly show that positivism encourages conservative science or that scientific realism encourages his prefered Marxist-leaning science. Much of the allegedly bad science he criticizes fails to live up to the old positivist standards, so it is unclear how positivism can be to blame for it, and surely the conservatives who lie about whether they're really following the positivists' rules will be just as ready to lie about whether they're following Miller's rules.
It is probably revealing that Miller seems blissfully unaware of the politics of the actual postivists and their scientific realist successors; if the debate between positivism and scientific realism were as thoroughly enmeshed in politics as Miller thinks, with realism providing support for Miller's prefered Marxist politics, it would be a point of data in need of some explanation that Neurath and Carnap, the leaders of the Logical Positivist movement, were openly Marxist in their politics, while scientific realism in the philosophy of science has mostly drawn inspiration from the arch-conservative Quine. Of course, there might be an explanation for this which is consistent with Miller's theses, but it is certainly not to be found in this book.
Not bad.......2001-10-25
In this book Richard Miller offers an ``adequate'' scientific explanation of phenomena as an alternative to the positivist ``covering law'' model (Hume, Hempel, etc.), which is still dominant among practicing social scientists today despite that it had already been severely criticized and rejected in the field of philosophy. Miller claims that the persistent popularity of positivist methodology is due to the absence of a genuine alternative method to replace good-old positivism.
The first part criticizes of the covering law model (i.e explanation by law-like regularity), which requires any valid law (1) to be universal in its application, (2) to be empirically verifiable, and (3) to reduce causality to mere statistical correlation.
After explaining how these criteria are actually irrelevant to scientific theory, Miller develops his alternative model of ``causal mechanism,'' which, without falling into hermeneutics, adequately explains causal phenomena.
It may not be an easy read for students without the background of philosophy. After all the title of the book is _Fact and Method_; it reminds me of the likes of _Truth and Method_ and _Being and Time_. (^_^; Like the previous reviewer I read this book for Quantitative Method course tpp. We were also assigned Elster's ``Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences'' and other like short articles with it. Elster's should be easier to understand, but if you want to know the more rich, philosophical foundation of their methodology, you've got to read _Fact and Method_.
Pure Torture.......1999-11-26
Having been forced to read this book as part of my MA course in Research Methods I was determined to make the best of it. Unfortunately after 2 hours of trying again and again to make sense of each paragraph (and I'm not normally stupid) I had to give up.
A little sample "The requirement of qualitativeness must be dropped. Yet many true generalisations restricted to particular times, places or things do seem incapable of supporting explanations. That every coin in my pocket is made of copper does not explain whey the dirty coin in my pocket is made of copper" p55 - What?
Unfortunately it gets worse and he spends another 5 pages going on about the dirty copper/ not copper coin.
It's not to say that you shouldn't attempt to read the book, but if you suceed in understanding it I truly do salute you.
Annabella
Average customer rating:
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The Unipolar World: An Unbalanced Future
Thomas S. Mowle , and
David H. Sacko
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Political
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Diplomacy
| International
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ASIN: 1403970300
Release Date: 2007-03-20 |
Book Description
The Unipolar World explains the international politics of the contemporary world. It completes structural realism by setting forth a theory of international politics when there is only one superpower. The authors distinguish between unipolarity and hegemony, and make analogy to the price leader model of microeconomics. Their research support realist predictions that a unipolar world will be relatively stable, and characterized by bandwagoning, flexible alliances, and resistance by the unipolar power to international law. When defensive power seems to have an advantage, the unipolar power will avoid involvement in international conflict, and unipolarity will be reinforced When offensive poser seems to have an advantage, the unipolar power will launch preventive wars, undermining its position in the international system.
Book Description
John Brady Kiesling, a twenty-year veteran of the foreign service, publicly resigned his position as political counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Athens in February 2003 to protest the Bush administration’s impending invasion of Iraq. He believed that the security, economic, and moral costs of this war, including the blackening of America’s image abroad, would far outweigh any benefit to the American people. In Diplomacy Lessons, Kiesling reminds readers that U.S. power does not rest on military might alone and that anger at America has real consequences for U.S. national interests.
The security and prosperity of the American people depend on efficient cooperation with foreigners on a range of issues, not only terrorism and nuclear nonproliferation but also trade policy, environmental protection, and even public health. The policy decisions of America’s foreign partners are driven by domestic politics, just as they are in the United States, and effective U.S. diplomacy requires understanding these political realities. An unloved superpower faces significant costs, both economic and strategic, in the pursuit of its interests. Kiesling calls for a return to realist policy making that recognizes the limits of U.S. power and uses thoughtful diplomacy to legitimize our security requirements in the eyes of our international partners.
This book is, at heart, an argument for how to best achieve America’s goals abroad. Kiesling’s passionate critique of current U.S. foreign policy and his prescriptions for restoring American influence and legitimacy will interest anyone concerned about the future of U.S. and world affairs.
Customer Reviews:
Incredible and uncommon insight into today's international system.......2007-05-22
Mr. Kiesling is of course famous for his notable letter of resignation at the beginning of the latest Iraq adventure after which he left a 20 year career as a diplomat. Hearing the backstory of his departure alone would have been interesting enough reading. But, surprisingly, that story is only the introduction to the real book.
Diplomacy Lessons ends up being a tour-de-force about the modern craft of international affairs, a book that transmits both the soul of the profession and the technical details that make up getting along in a world transformed by globalization. Befitting the archaeogical background of its author, the book delves into international relations with a much more sweeping view, starting with Greek democracy and projecting into the future. Diplomacy Lessons goes beyond the shallow headlines of our news sources into what's really going on - not just back room details, but simple stuff like "Hey, there are reactionary nationalists in EVERY country." You get the immediate sense that this is the backstory you need in order to understand current events.
Not that it's an easy read. Probably to the reader's benefit, the book has not been overly edited to meet mass appeal. The text can be quite dense at times, and the organization can seem a bit haphazard. Then again, to leave much out would detract from the value it provides.
The author also adds choice phrases that can only come from a man never again considering a career in federal government such as "the flies gathered in swarms like defense contractors." Who knows if a big publishing house would have let such zingers go - but it adds to the color.
If you follow the news AT ALL, then BUY THIS BOOK.
Some good points, but, at times, weak presentation........2007-03-03
I recieved this book as a Christmas present. It is certainly the kind of book I'm fond of reading. This was no exception. As a career diplomat, Kiesling sees the importance of projecting American inflence, but as the subtitle suggest he is "realistic" is how far this influence can go. However, his presenation gets repetitive in places and is needlessly wordy. For example, he included, as an appendix, his letter of resignation. You can see in the personal document that his natural writing style is rather verbose. Some of that style made it way into this book. Still an important addition to the bookshelf library. Four stars.
A Rare, Honest Analysis by an Insider.......2006-12-24
I bought this book after seeing Mr. Kiesling speak about it in a bookshop on PBS. I was impressed by his sincerity and knew, from the chaos of our involvement in Iraq and elsewhere, that his insight was needed. As a career diplomat, he's seen first-hand how diplomacy has been shunted aside in favor of blundering military might. He isn't just defending his own field, however, since he demonstrates how arrogance actually loses ground for the U.S., both by making us more of a target and destroying our credibility with potential friends. While he's on-target as far as he goes, Mr. Kiesling stops a bit short in his criticism of the Bush administration. He sees it as incompetent but basically well-meaning, rather hastily dismissing any ulterior motives. I suppose this is due to residual loyalty, but the more credible doubts about the administration's motives should eventually be attended to.
Lessons for the Leadership.......2006-11-27
Kiesling's cogently and convincingly presented lessons are a useful read for anybody who takes an interest in foreign policy, but all our politicians, of BOTH parties, ought to read it. Unfortunately, very few of them will.
Topically current, with long term wisdom........2006-10-26
This is the BEST BOOK I have ever read on real world diplomacy. The combination of his feet on the ground experience and clear eyed view of American diplomacy is most powerful. I started writing down pithy, pertinent quotations as I read it through the second time, but I filled up too many notebook pages. Perhaps it will be best to read it yet again! Here are a few: "A politician who obeys the dictates of a hostile superpower is toast." "..local nationalism and resistance to outsiders trumps the call of ideology or religion." "Someone whose ego has been sandblasted by the humiliations of learning a language successfully from scratch as an adult is bettter at risking the reciprocal vulnerability required for relationship building."
Book Description
Does a novel focus on one life or many? Alex Woloch uses this simple question to develop a powerful new theory of the realist novel, based on how narratives distribute limited attention among a crowded field of characters. His argument has important implications for both literary studies and narrative theory.
Characterization has long been a troubled and neglected problem within literary theory. Through close readings of such novels as Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, and Le Père Goriot, Woloch demonstrates that the representation of any character takes place within a shifting field of narrative attention and obscurity. Each individual--whether the central figure or a radically subordinated one--emerges as a character only through his or her distinct and contingent space within the narrative as a whole. The "character-space," as Woloch defines it, marks the dramatic interaction between an implied person and his or her delimited position within a narrative structure. The organization of, and clashes between, many character-spaces within a single narrative totality is essential to the novel's very achievement and concerns, striking at issues central to narrative poetics, the aesthetics of realism, and the dynamics of literary representation.
Woloch's discussion of character-space allows for a different history of the novel and a new definition of characterization itself. By making the implied person indispensable to our understanding of literary form, this book offers a forward-looking avenue for contemporary narrative theory.
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