Theory of International Politics (The Macat Library)

Kenneth Waltz’s 1979 Theory of International Politics is credited with bringing about a “scientific revolution” in the study of international relations - bringing the field into a new era of systematic study.The book is also a lesson in reasoning carefully and critically.Good reasoning is exemplified by arguments that move systematically, through carefully organised stages, taking into account opposing stances and ideas as they move towards a logical conclusion.Theory of International Politics might be a textbook example of how to go about structuring an argument in this way to produce a watertight case for a particular point of view. Waltz’s book begins by testing and critiquing earlier theories of international relations, showing their strengths and weaknesses, before moving on to argue for his own stance - what has since become known as “neorealism”.His aim was “to construct a theory of international politics that remedies the defects of present theories.” And this is precisely what