Synopses & Reviews
Kalevi Holsti examines the nature of change in international politics.
Review
"Holsti steps back from the rush of current events to consider more broadly how scholars think about and chart international change. From his baseline conception of a 'society of states' in which relations are regulated by Westphalian norms and institutions, he finds continuity and creeping complexity more than a sharp transformation toward a de-territorialized, borderless world." Foreign Affairs"By Combining a lucid theoretical analysis with a wealth of empirical data, Holsti has provided an argument that scholars of international politics as well as students will find thought provoking." Perspectives on Political Science
Review
"Holsti steps back from the rush of current events to consider more broadly how scholars think about and chart international change. From his baseline conception of a 'society of states' in which relations are regulated by Westphalian norms and institutions, he finds continuity and creeping complexity more than a sharp transformation toward a de-territorialized, borderless world." Foreign Affairs
Synopsis
Kalevi Holsti inquires as to how we identify change in international politics and distinguish between significant and unimportant changes. Do we really live in a new era or simply see more continuity than transformation in international politics? Combining theoretical and empirical arguments, Holsti investigates eight major international institutions, including sovereignty, international law and territoriality, and speculates on their consequences.
About the Author
Kalevi J. Holsti is Research Associate at the Centre for International Relations and University Killam Professor, Political Science (Emeritus), at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of The State, War, and the State of War (1995), Peace and War: Armed Conflicts and International Order, 1648-1989 (1991), Change in the International System (1991), The Dividing Discipline (1985), Why Nations Realign (1983) and International Politics: a Framework for Analysis (7 editions).
Table of Contents
1. The problem of change in international relations: rhetoric, markers, and metrics; 2. The State as agent and institution; 3. Territoriality; 4. Sovereignty; 5. International law; 6. Diplomacy; 7. Trade; 8. Colonialism; 9. War; 10. International institutions: types, sources and consequences of change.