Publisher Description

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 thatMorgenthau'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 ofboth 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.

Author Biography

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 inInternational Politics.

Table of Contents

Michael Williams: Introduction1: Anthony F. Lang, Jr: Morgenthau, Agency and Aristotle2: Chris Brown: 'The Twilight of International Morality'? Hans J. Morgenthau and Carl Schmitt on the end of the Jus Publicum Europaeum3: William E. Scheuerman: Carl Schmitt and Hans Morgenthau: Realism and Beyond4: Oliver Jütersonke: The Image of Law in Politics Among Nations5: Nicholas Rengger: Realism, Tragedy and the Anti-Pelagian Imagination in International Political Thought.6: Richard Little: The balance of power in Politics Among Nations7: Michael Cox: Hans Morgenthau and the Cold War8: Campbell Craig: Hans Morgenthau and the World State Revisited9: Michael C. Williams: Morgenthau Now: Neoconservatism, National Greatness and Realism10: Richard Ned Lebow: Texts, Paradigms, and Political Change

Review

`Williams and his contributors make an exciting and innovative contribution to Morgenthau scholarship. The authors use interesting and lesser-known sources, and vivid examples, to show or speculate about Morgenthau's positions on a range of topics.'Jonathan Cristol, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs

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A major re-examination of a key method in International Relations

Long Description

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.

Review Text

`Williams and his contributors make an exciting and innovative contribution to Morgenthau scholarship. The authors use interesting and lesser-known sources, and vivid examples, to show or speculate about Morgenthau's positions on a range of topics.'
Jonathan Cristol, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs

Review Quote

"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

Feature

Major re-examination by leading scholars of key method in International Relations matches
Brings together some of the most respected International Relations theorists from both sides of the Atlantic

Details