Politics Among Nations, Brief Edition [Paperback]

Hans Morgenthau (Author), Kenneth Thompson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070433062 | ISBN-13: 978-0070433069 | Publication Date: July 1, 1992 | Edition: 1

For more than four decades, Politics Among Nations. has been considered by many to be the premiere text in international politics. This brief edition--edited by Professor Morgenthau's former research assistant--features the same themes, including national interest and power, that are commonplace among practitioners of foreign policy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 1 edition (July 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070433062
• ISBN-13: 978-0070433069
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Politics as Real as it gets..., May 27, 2003

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace (Hardcover)

I was taught politics initially by a professor from the University of Chicago who studied under Han J. Morgenthau, who used Morgenthau's book, Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace as his primary text. Later, when I taught politics, I found that this text was a bit too advanced for the calibre of beginning undergraduate students (my, how the standards, they slippeth...) but was useful for a third-year course in international relations.

This book is heavy in history and philosophy as well as a more 'pure' political science; these are not disconnected subjects, and should not be treated as such. Morgenthau was one of the giants of international thought, having trained many (directly or through texts) of the last generation of political scientists, who rarely have a neutral opinion on Morgenthau. Very much an adherent of the Real Politick, and addresses the question of framework and theory at the beginning of the text:

Morgenthau, throughout this work, strives to work against the idea that international politics in particular, and politics more generally, can be derived simply from philosophical or abstract points, and must be grounded in the imperfect and very human dealings at hand. He outlines six principles which guide this political realism:

1. There are objective laws that govern politics, rooted in human nature.
2. The main force driving international politics is the concept of interest defined in terms of power.
3. This key concept is universally valid and objective, but does not have the same meaning fixed once and for all.
4. Political realism is aware of the moral significance of political action.
5. Political realism refuses to equate the moral principles of any given nation or time with the overall moral laws that govern the universe.
6. Political realism maintains a separation and integrity of intellectual substance, while recognising other frameworks and the inter-relatedness of politics with other fields.

Morgenthau goes through a lengthy discussion of these principles as the underpinning of his theories, before embarking on the 'nitty-gritty' of international politics. He includes an essay on scientific methodology as it applies to politics, and the limitations of this methodology.

Morgenthau then proceeds to discuss politics under the following broad headings:

- International Politics as a Struggle for Power
This includes a look at political power, imperialism in different guises, status quo issues, prestige, and political ideologies. Take imperialism as an example: Morgenthau examines the reasons for imperialistic tendencies (victorious war, lost war, and weakness, perceived or real); the ultimate goals of imperialism (which could be global empire and hegemony, continental empire, or merely local preponderance); and the differing methods of imperialism (military, economic, cultural).

- National Power
In this section, Morgenthau discusses military, political, population, national morale, natural resource, and quality of government issues to determine national power structures, and examines the problems attendant with nationalism. He also discusses the typical errors of political analysis, those of mistaking the absolute character of power, the permanent character of power, and the fallacy of single factors (geopolitics, nationalism, militarism, etc. in isolation).

- Limitations of National Power: Balance of Power
- Limitations of National Power: International Morality and World Public Opinion
- Limitations of National Power: International Law
Morgenthau proceeds to discuss in these sections the various factors which hold nations in check. The first section encompasses balance of power issues, including models of competition and direct opposition; different methods of balance of power; and the uncertainties and unrealities of balances of power. The next section discusses the strength of philosophical underpinnings and morality as a deterrent, as well as the tension between personal and political morality, national and international morality, and universal moralism and nationalistic universalism. The final section here discusses legislative, judicial, and enforcement aspects of international law, and the limitations of international law due to sovereignty issues, as well as executive limitations.

- International Politics in the Contemporary World
For this section, we have to rely mostly on Kenneth Thompson's reconstruction of Morgenthau's thought, given the necessity for updates. The issues discussed earlier are brought into relief as a framework for discussion of balance of power, the disappearance of colonialism, the relative declines of the established powers, and the issues surrounding the century in which total war has become the standard.

- The Problem of Peace: Peace through Limitation
- The Problem of Peace: Peace through Transformation
- The Problem of Peace: Peace through Accommodation
These three final sections examine issues such as disarmament, security and international policing, judicial settlements, alliances (looking at the successes and failures of past alliances and organisations), culminating in a candid discussion of the United Nations, both in theoretical (charter) terms and actual practice. Transformative issues include possibilities of world statism, world communalism, and interlocking spheres of cooperation and unity. The final section deals with diplomacy, as both a real and a declining force in politics today.

Morgenthau is as likely to pull an example from Thucydides as he is from World War II. This makes this a difficult book for the typical undergraduate, who today does not have the historical frame of reference to appreciate such examples. Morgenthau's reasoning is subtle and elegant, and still of great influence today. One might count the likes of Kissinger and Thatcher among those who would generally adhere to Morgenthau's thesis.

Not at all for the faint hearted, but a text that will yield treasure to the bold who would explore a text that is indeed formative of much of diplomatic and political thought from the 1940s through the 1980s, hence having an impact on events and organisations still important today.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible of International Relations, April 18, 2000

By 

James Schoonmaker (Centreville, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Politics Among Nations, Brief Edition (Paperback)

If you've ever studied foreign policy or international affairs, you're familiar with the ideas and theories of Hans Morganthau, even if you don't realize it. He defined power for this field (no, really-- his definition of power is the accepted standard in the field), and much of modern international affairs theory is based on his ideas. This book is written as a textbook, but a rather readable one. For serious students of international affairs, much of the contents of the book may seem like a review, but I still found several ideas that were new to me. For beginners or those who simply wish to increase their knowledge of world politics, this book may seem like a somewhat dense read, but it will teach you 90% of modern international affairs theory. Well worth the money and the effort.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic of political realism, November 28, 1999

By 

"stoyan" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace (Hardcover)

Hans Morgenthau is, together with E.H.Carr, among the key 20th century thinkers who studied international relations and developed what is today called classical realism (as opposed to structural- or neo-realism - see Kenneth Waltz). Classical realism claims an ancient ancestry beginning with the History of the Peloponesian War by Thucydides, and including thinkers like Maciaveli and Clausewitz, as well as Ralf Niebur. Briefly, the proponents of this line of thinking claim that 1) states are the only actors of significance in international relations; 2) that because there is no single world government, international relations are characterized by self-help- if states wish to survive they should ever be ready for war; 3) 'power' in this sense becomes both a means (to survival) and an end in itself -- states struggle to aggrandize their power; 4) because of all this, international relations are primarily a realm of conflict, not cooperation; 5) this sorry state of affairs stems from the evil nature of man which is essentially unchangeable (see St. Augustine, City of God, for a forceful argument in this vein). Given all this, Morgenthau claims that any politician who does not take the above points seriously is acting under dangerous delusions. Because most statesmen do act in this way, he, says, reading his book will allow the reader to be able 'to look over the shoulder' of any leader and understand their decisions. Whether one agrees or not with these views, the book is indispensible for any serious student of international politics. For further interest one may wish to read both scholars who have advanced the realist tradition in international relations in new directions (see esp. Kenneth Waltz, Theory of International Politics; Robert Jervis, Perception and Misperception..., and System Effects; Jack Snyder, Myths of Empire; and Michael Doyle, Ways of War and Peace) and critics of this tradition (esp. Robert Keohane, Neorealism and Its Critics, After Hegemony, and (with J.Nye) Power and Interdependence, as well as David Baldwin, ed., Neorealism and Neoliberalism). I admit that the book is densely written, but with the right roadmap, it is an enjoyable read. In fact, if you wish to find it even more useful, you may begin with E.H.Carr, The Twenty Years' Crisis, which is elegantly written, a real pleasure to read, and which is a very clear statement of the main arguments of realism.