Description
The increasing capacity of states to muster violence, the concomitant rise of military power as a meaningful instrument of foreign policy, and the frequent episodic collapse of that power are considered in this examination of force, order, and diplomacy. Nathan points to periods of relative order and stability in international relations-the time immediately prior to the rise of Frederick the Great, for example, or the half century after the Napoleonic Wars-as times when states have been most vulnerable to spoilers and rogues. Only the power of the Cold War blocs fostered durable order. Now, notwithstanding novel elements of globalization, international relations appear as dependent as ever on the prudent management of force. Students, scholars, and soldiers are frequently exposed to Clausewitz, Westphalia, Napoleon, World War I, and the like. But what makes these events and individuals so important? This book is Clausewitz's successor, insisting that soldiers and statesmen know and master the integrative potential of force. Nathan provides a narrative account of the people and events that have shaped international relations since the onset of the state system. He asserts that an understanding of the limits and utility of persuasion, as well as the corresponding limits and utility of force, will help assure national security in a world filled with more uncertainties than ever in the last 50 years.
In the scholarly, but readable and jargon-free book, James Nathan demonstrates through gripping historical nomenclature that a successful foreign policy requires the deliberate and conscious integration of military force and diplomacy. It is a must-read for students, scholars and practitioners of foreign policy. -- Lawrence J. Korb^LVice President^LMaurice R. Greenberg Chair^LDirector of Studies Council on Foreign Relations James Nathan has written a magisterial account of force, order, and diplomacy from the Peace of Westphalia to the war against terrorism. His deft use of Clausewitzian insights show how states that fail to place political limits on their use of violence have repeatedly suffered disaster... This engaging and sophisticated book will appeal to a wide audience wishing to learn about the necessity of subordinating military force to political purpose. -- Richard A. Melanson^LProfessor^LNational Defense University Nathan has gracefully written a book on coercive power from a historical perspective. Readers will come away with a better understanding of historical events and leading figures that are often referenced but not well understood...A must-read for students and scholars of diplomacy. -- Charles Tien^LAssociate Professor^LHunter College The use of force in international relations has sharply divided the American body politic. The Left has argued or hoped that the role of force would sharply decline or even disappear in the age of globalization and post-Cold War politics. The Right, for its part, at times seems to suggest that force alone will secure America's international role as it pushes the United States to downgrade international institutions and eschew international obligations. James A. Nathan offers a balanced, scholarly corrective to either excess and perhaps points the way to a more balanced and constructive U.S. foreign policy in the future. -- Bill Maynes^LPresident, Eurasia Foundation [This book]...offers a uniquely comprehensive study of statecraft and is excellent for civilian universities, the military academies and national war colleges. This book will be essential reading for scholars and all serious students of international affairs. -- Willie Curtis^LUnited States Naval Academy Professor Nathan's extraordinary ^Itour d'horizon^R of how the debate about force and diplomacy has evolved gives us the necessary starting point for what should be a global debate about the use of coercion...[His] intellectual scope is breathtaking, and he uses it to develop a stunning and clearly written rebuttal to conventional apologies for the use--or threat to use--unrestrained military power. -- Philip Brenner^LAmerican University ...An exceptionally well written and insightful treatment of perhaps the central issue in current American foreign policy debates: the...relationship between national interest, military force, and political influence...The book makes an important and unique contribution to our understanding of the history of the use of military force which can only help us better assess its proper use in the future. -- Robert L. Gallucci^LDean, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service^LGeorgetown University
About the Author
JAMES A. NATHAN is Khaled bin Sultan Eminent Scholar and Professor of International Relations at Auburn University. His most recent book is Anatomy of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Greenwood, 2000).
Reviews
This small volume is as timely as the evening's news, as profound as the classics in history and politics. In 174 pages plus a bibliographic essay, Nathan provides a well-packed treatise on war, international order, and diplomacy in major segments of Western history. The book is as rich in history as in theories of international relations. Its historical range is awesome, spanning the centuries from the Treaty of Westphalia to the management of conflict in U.S. foreign policy from the 1960s to 1990s....Essential. Lower-division undergraduate collections and above. * Choice *
Awards
Winner of Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2003 2002.
Book Information
ISBN 9780275976415
Author James A. Nathan
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Praeger Publishers Inc
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Weight(grams) 369g
In the scholarly, but readable and jargon-free book, James Nathan demonstrates through gripping historical nomenclature that a successful foreign policy requires the deliberate and conscious integration of military force and diplomacy. It is a must-read for students, scholars and practitioners of foreign policy. -- Lawrence J. Korb^LVice President^LMaurice R. Greenberg Chair^LDirector of Studies Council on Foreign Relations James Nathan has written a magisterial account of force, order, and diplomacy from the Peace of Westphalia to the war against terrorism. His deft use of Clausewitzian insights show how states that fail to place political limits on their use of violence have repeatedly suffered disaster... This engaging and sophisticated book will appeal to a wide audience wishing to learn about the necessity of subordinating military force to political purpose. -- Richard A. Melanson^LProfessor^LNational Defense University Nathan has gracefully written a book on coercive power from a historical perspective. Readers will come away with a better understanding of historical events and leading figures that are often referenced but not well understood...A must-read for students and scholars of diplomacy. -- Charles Tien^LAssociate Professor^LHunter College The use of force in international relations has sharply divided the American body politic. The Left has argued or hoped that the role of force would sharply decline or even disappear in the age of globalization and post-Cold War politics. The Right, for its part, at times seems to suggest that force alone will secure America's international role as it pushes the United States to downgrade international institutions and eschew international obligations. James A. Nathan offers a balanced, scholarly corrective to either excess and perhaps points the way to a more balanced and constructive U.S. foreign policy in the future. -- Bill Maynes^LPresident, Eurasia Foundation [This book]...offers a uniquely comprehensive study of statecraft and is excellent for civilian universities, the military academies and national war colleges. This book will be essential reading for scholars and all serious students of international affairs. -- Willie Curtis^LUnited States Naval Academy Professor Nathan's extraordinary ^Itour d'horizon^R of how the debate about force and diplomacy has evolved gives us the necessary starting point for what should be a global debate about the use of coercion...[His] intellectual scope is breathtaking, and he uses it to develop a stunning and clearly written rebuttal to conventional apologies for the use--or threat to use--unrestrained military power. -- Philip Brenner^LAmerican University ...An exceptionally well written and insightful treatment of perhaps the central issue in current American foreign policy debates: the...relationship between national interest, military force, and political influence...The book makes an important and unique contribution to our understanding of the history of the use of military force which can only help us better assess its proper use in the future. -- Robert L. Gallucci^LDean, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service^LGeorgetown University
About the Author
JAMES A. NATHAN is Khaled bin Sultan Eminent Scholar and Professor of International Relations at Auburn University. His most recent book is Anatomy of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Greenwood, 2000).
Reviews
This small volume is as timely as the evening's news, as profound as the classics in history and politics. In 174 pages plus a bibliographic essay, Nathan provides a well-packed treatise on war, international order, and diplomacy in major segments of Western history. The book is as rich in history as in theories of international relations. Its historical range is awesome, spanning the centuries from the Treaty of Westphalia to the management of conflict in U.S. foreign policy from the 1960s to 1990s....Essential. Lower-division undergraduate collections and above. * Choice *
Awards
Winner of Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2003 2002.
Book Information
ISBN 9780275976415
Author James A. Nathan
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Praeger Publishers Inc
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Weight(grams) 369g
