Correspondence about war in The Listener, October–November 1955

2021 ◽  
pp. 173-174
Author(s):  
Martin Wight
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Basic Purpose ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Definition Of

John Connell responded to Martin Wight’s BBC broadcast, ‘War and International Politics’, published in The Listener, 13 October 1955, by asserting that Wight had presented a ‘misleading and incomplete definition’ of ‘the aim of foreign policy’—that is, in Wight’s words, ‘to preserve the balance of power’. In Connell’s view, ‘the basic purpose of foreign policy’ is ‘to preserve and enhance the security, prosperity, and welfare of this country’. Connell accused Wight of supplying ‘the very grammar of appeasement’ at a time ‘in which a whole new vast wave of appeasement is imminent’. Wight replied that Connell’s definition of the goal of foreign policy was ‘included’ in his own, because the balance of power is ‘the condition of the independence and liberties of states’. Wight observed that appeasement is ‘a language’ that he ‘never learned’, and that ‘western diplomacy at the moment does not lead’ him ‘to believe that “a whole new vast wave of appeasement is imminent”’.

Leibniz’s Political Vision for Europe

2015 ◽  
pp. 663-683
Author(s):  
Friedrich Beiderbeck
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Roman Empire ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Holy Roman Empire ◽  
Power Politics ◽  
Louis Xiv ◽  
Church Politics ◽  
Cultural Structures

This chapter examines Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s political vision for Europe, beginning with his views on the Holy Roman Empire and the Peace of Westphalia. It considers how Leibniz viewed Germany’s political and cultural structures and his support for the Reich, along with his thoughts on order, security, and law. It also discusses Leibniz’s modern notion of state and his ideas of territorial power, diplomacy, and international politics; his views on France’s foreign policy under Louis XIV and the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1713/14); and his dispute with Abbé de Saint Pierre over peace and balance of power in Europe. Finally, the chapter looks at Leibniz’s pronouncements on denominational issues and church politics, particularly the presence of Protestants and Catholics in Germany, and his arguments with regards to the House of Hanover and the role played by Great Britain in power politics as a counterbalance to French hegemony.

Debating Foreign Policy in the Renaissance

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Security Dilemma ◽  
International Theory ◽  
Early Formulation

This book includes a collection of debates on foreign policy from the works of Guicciardini, freshly translated with new commentary. This book brings together eleven pairs of opposing speeches on foreign policy written by Florentine statesman and historian Francesco Guicciardini (1483–1540). Collectively, they constitute a remarkable collection of debates on war, peace, alliance, and more. Incisive and elegant, the debates contain an early formulation of concepts such as the balance of power and the security dilemma — ideas that are still in international politics today. This book highlights the importance of Guicciardini's work for the evolution of international theory and explains why he, alongside Machiavelli, should be considered a leading figure of Realism.

Nature or Atoms? Reframing the IR Curriculum through Ethical Worldviews

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-211
Author(s):  
Landon Frim ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Relations ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
Nation State ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Opening Up

The international relations (IR) curriculum has long presented a dichotomy between the so-called “realist” and “idealist” positions. Idealists seek to embody universal norms of justice in foreign policy. Realists, by contrast, see competition between states, the balance of power, and relative advantage as basic to international politics. Though considered polar opposites, both the realist and idealist affirm the primacy of the nation state as a sovereign political unit, and so neither embraces cosmopolitanism in the strongest sense, i.e., the transcendence of national divisions as such. Opening up the IR curriculum to such a radical possibility requires its reframing in terms of underlying, ethical worldviews. Under this lens, it becomes evident that the realist and idealist share far more in common than contemporary policy debates would suggest. It also points us toward the space for an alternate ethical worldview, provided by Stoic rationalism, which is more viable for grounding cosmopolitan thought.

National interests and foreign policy: A conceptual framework for analysis and decision-making

1976 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald E. Nuechterlein
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
International Politics ◽  
National Interest ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Foreign Ministers

The term “national interest” has been used by statesmen and scholars since the founding of nation-states to describe the aspirations and goals of sovereign entities in the international arena. Today foreign ministers, military strategists and academicians discuss the vital interests of their countries in ways suggesting that everyone understands precisely what they mean and will draw correct inferences from their use of the term. Nothing could be further from reality. In truth, the study of international politics as well as the art of diplomacy suffer from widespread ambiguity about the meaning of national interest, with the result that some scholars have proposed that the concept be abandoned and replaced by some other phrase. To my mind, this would be an abdication of the scholar's responsibility because, whether we like it or not, the term national interest is so deeply ingrained in the literature of international relations and diplomatic language that it is unlikely to be dismissed from our vocabulary simply because some scholars find it useless. Were we to attempt to substitute some new phrase, we would likely find even less consensus and could become engaged in yet another round of jargon-creation. A better alternative, I suggest, is to strive for a more precise definition of national interest and then provide a conceptual framework in which serious discussion of foreign policy and international politics can become more fruitful. That is the purpose of this paper.

Politics, Power, and U.S. Policy in Iran, 1950–1953

1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis J. Gavin
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Cold War ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Truman Administration ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Military Buildup ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
Radical Shift

Explanations that focus on norms, ideology, and domestic sources of foreign policy are increasingly popular in studies of international politics during the Cold War. This article finds that U.S. policy in the early 1950s was driven chiefly by structural factors, especially the changing balance of power. What appeared to be a radical shift in policy toward Iran initiated by Eisenhower was, in fact, largely a continuation of the policies of the Truman administration, with new options made possible by the huge U.S. military buildup of the early 1950s. Rethinking the Role of Ideology in International Politics During the Cold War

Basic principles of Russian foreign policy under Vladimir Putin

Upravlenie ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 116-122
Author(s):  
Sadeghi Elham Mir Mohammad ◽  
Ahmad Vakhshitekh
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Relations ◽  
World Order ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Russian Foreign Policy ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Interstate Relations ◽  
The Moment

The article considers and analyses the basic principles and directions of Russian foreign policy activities during the presidency of V.V. Putin from the moment of his assumption of the post of head of state to the current presidential term. The authors determine the basic principles of Russia's foreign policy in the specified period and make the assessment to them. The study uses materials from publications of both Russian and foreign authors, experts in the field of political science, history and international relations, as well as documents regulating the foreign policy activities of the highest state authorities. The paper considers the process of forming the priorities of Russia's foreign policy both from the point of view of accumulated historical experience and continuity of the internal order, and in parallel with the processes of transformation of the entire system of international relations and the world order. The article notes the multi-vector nature of Russia's foreign policy strategy aimed at developing multilateral interstate relations, achieving peace and security in the interstate arena, actively countering modern challenges and threats to interstate security, as well as the formation of a multipolar world. The authors conclude that at present, Russia's foreign policy activity is aimed at strengthening Russia's prestige, supporting economic growth and competitiveness, ensuring security and implementing national interests. Internal political reforms contribute to strengthening the political power of the President of the Russian Federation and increasing the efficiency of foreign policy decision-making.

Evolution of Germany’s Stance Regarding the Three Seas Initiative

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 65-77
Author(s):  
Martin Dahl
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Great Powers ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Global Game ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Law And Justice ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Polish Foreign

When the political camp centred on the Law and Justice party (PiS) came to power in 2015, it led to a change in priorities in Polish foreign policy. The Three Seas Initiative (TSI), understood as closer cooperation between eastern states of the European Union in the area between the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black seas, has become a new instrument of foreign policy. The initiative demonstrates the growing importance of Central and Eastern Europe in the global game of great powers. The region has become a subject of rivalry, not only between the United States and Russia but also China. Therefore, the main objective of this article is to try to describe the importance of the region to Germany and how Germany’s stance on the TSI has evolved. The article consists of three parts, an introduction to the issues, the genesis of the TSI, and the definition of goals set by the states participating in this initiative, as well as analysis of the German stance towards the initiative since its development in 2015. The theories of geopolitics and neorealism are used as the theoretical basis for the analysis.

Toward a Theory of International Politics

1955 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 733-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth W. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Foreign Relations ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Jet Stream ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
Levels Of Abstraction ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Analysis Theory ◽  
Moving Front ◽  
Special Priority

Recently a group of scholars, analysts, and diplomatists met for a weekend conference on theoretical approaches to international politics. Their discussion was inspired by the widespread and growing interest in conceptual and theoretical problems illustrated by parallel efforts in the study of politics, economics, law, and human relations. In the field of foreign relations the impulse toward theory comes from practitioners as well as philosophers. Indeed a former Secretary of State maintains that our most urgent need is for “an applicable body of theory in foreign policy.” Practical men with first-hand diplomatic experience point to the need for rational generalizations and intellectual structures to extract meaning from the jet stream of contemporary events. The intellectual processes by which practical judgments are made along a moving front of events clearly demand inquiry and analysis. Theory in the study of international politics perhaps derserves a special priority because of the urgency of the problem and the stridency of the debate generated by competing approaches each claiming to have preempted the field. Perhaps what is called for is a sorting out and assessment of the intellectual factors that go into diverse theories of international politics at varying levels of abstraction and generality. This sorting out was one of the objectives of the conferees. Similarly this paper seeks to review the nature and purpose of theory, its limitations, and the characteristics of the chief types of theory in international politics.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document