Book

Description

In an earlier book, entitled Structural Realism and Geopolitical Thought (ELIVA PRESS),  the author developed an argument for bringing together the theoretical and analytical strengths of these two complementary approaches  to understanding international politics. The current volume builds on the insights generated by the abstract logic of both of these power-centric systems of thought and applies them to real-world issues and problems. This empiricist emphasis ranges over an extensive survey of practical policy challenges within contemporary international relations. The issues addressed include significant ongoing debates with regard to such fundamental questions as the authentic nature of the national interest, the impact of structural change on alliance relations, collective responses to interstate conflict, the policy arts of leveraging a weak geopolitical hand, the definition of the threat – particularly in the context of nuclear weaponry, international and continental vectors in security and defense policy, and the evolution of nuclear doctrines under conditions of technological and ideological change. A synthetic overview of International Relations as a Social Science concludes these analyses of policies as they have been formulated and implemented in contemporary international politics.