Foreign Policy and Security Strategy collects works by the late Professor Martin Wight (1913-1972), an historian and scholar of international relations. Wight conducted research on many topics, including British colonial history, European studies, international institutions, and the history of states-systems. He is nonetheless best known for his lectures about the political philosophy of international relations at the London School of Economics (1949-1961) and the University of Sussex (1961-1972). He is widely regarded as an intellectual ancestor and pathbreaker of the "English School" of international relations, even though this term only gained currency nine years after his death. The "English School" is usually construed as signifying an approach to the study of international relations more rooted in historical and humanistic learning than in the social sciences. Despite Wight's reputation as a scholar focused on historical and philosophical matters, he articulated noteworthy policy prescriptions in six domains: (a) the balance of power; (b) international order, notably regarding neutrality and nationalism; (c) nuclear weapons and international politics; (d) interests, honour, and prestige in statecraft; (e) disarmament and public opinion; and (f) the United Nations. These writings have been neglected, partly because his perfectionism led him to refrain from publishing many of them. However, as this new collection of his works (many previously unpublished) shows, he took distinctive positions on practical policy questions. He asked "Does Peace Take Care of Itself?" - as implied by Kantian principles - and concluded that it does not, and that purposeful action will therefore be necessary.

About the Author
Dr. David S. Yost is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. His books have been published by Harvard University Press, the United States Institute of Peace, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He has held fellowships from Fulbright, NATO, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the United States Institute of Peace, and he was a senior research fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome in 2004-2007. He earned a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Southern California. Martin Wight was one of the most important twentieth century British scholars of International Relations. He taught at the London School of Economics (1949-1961) and the University of Sussex (1961-1972), where he served as the founding Dean of the School of European Studies. Wight is often associated with the British Committee on the Theory of International Politics and the so-called English School of International Relations.


Book Information
ISBN 9780192867889
Author Martin Wight
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 620g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 161mm * 22mm