International Relations Theory and the Consequences of Unipolarity

International Relations Theory and the Consequences of Unipolarity

Author: G. John Ikenberry

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-09-01

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9781107011700

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The end of the Cold War and subsequent dissolution of the Soviet Union resulted in a new unipolar international system that presented fresh challenges to international relations theory. Since the Enlightenment, scholars have speculated that patterns of cooperation and conflict might be systematically related to the manner in which power is distributed among states. Most of what we know about this relationship, however, is based on European experiences between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries, when five or more powerful states dominated international relations, and the latter twentieth century, when two superpowers did so. Building on a highly successful special issue of the leading journal World Politics, this book seeks to determine whether what we think we know about power and patterns of state behavior applies to the current 'unipolar' setting and, if not, how core theoretical propositions about interstate interactions need to be revised.


Theory of Unipolar Politics

Theory of Unipolar Politics

Author: Nuno P. Monteiro

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-04-21

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 1139952811

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Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States has enjoyed unparalleled military power. The international system is therefore unipolar. A quarter of a century later, however, we still possess no theory of unipolarity. Theory of Unipolar Politics provides one. Dr Nuno P. Monteiro answers three of the most important questions about the workings of a unipolar world. Is it durable? Is it peaceful? What is the best grand strategy a unipolar power such as the contemporary United States can implement? In our nuclear world, the power preponderance of the United States is potentially durable but likely to produce frequent conflict. Furthermore, in order to maintain its power preponderance, the United States must remain militarily engaged in the world and accommodate the economic growth of its major competitors, namely, China. This strategy, however, will lead Washington to wage war frequently. In sum, military power preponderance brings significant benefits but is not an unalloyed good.


The Return of Bipolarity in World Politics

The Return of Bipolarity in World Politics

Author: Øystein Tunsjø

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2018-02-27

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 0231546904

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Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the international system has been unipolar, centered on the United States. But the rise of China foreshadows a change in the distribution of power. Øystein Tunsjø shows that the international system is moving toward a U.S.-China standoff, bringing us back to bipolarity—a system in which no third power can challenge the top two. The Return of Bipolarity in World Politics surveys the new era of superpowers to argue that the combined effects of the narrowing power gap between China and the United States and the widening power gap between China and any third-ranking power portend a new bipolar system that will differ in crucial ways from that of the last century. Tunsjø expands Kenneth N. Waltz’s structural-realist theory to examine the new bipolarity within the context of geopolitics, which he calls “geostructural realism.” He considers how a new bipolar system will affect balancing and stability in U.S.-China relations, predicting that the new bipolarity will not be as prone to arms races as the previous era’s; that the risk of limited war between the two superpowers is likely to be higher in the coming bipolarity, especially since the two powers are primarily rivals at sea rather than on land; and that the superpowers are likely to be preoccupied with rivalry and conflict in East Asia instead of globally. Tunsjø presents a major challenge to how international relations understands superpowers in the twenty-first century.


Unipolarity and the Middle East

Unipolarity and the Middle East

Author: Birthe Hansen

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 9780312215217

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The end of the Cold War profoundly affected Middle Eastern politics. In "Unipolarity and the Middle East," a neorealist model for unipolarity is put forward in order to explain the effects of the end of the Cold War as well as the subsequent international dynamics. The new international dynamics are analyzed as "unipolar" and the theoretical model conceptualizes these dynamics and their implications for international politics. The model is applied to Middle Eastern politics from 1989 to 1996, examining the series of international political events which took place during this period. Besides launching the first model of unipolarity, the book thus provides both a survey and an explanation of the changes in the Middle East since 1989, and the emergence of the new, unipolar world order.


China's Ascent

China's Ascent

Author: Robert S. Ross

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2015-03-15

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 0801456983

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Assessments of China's importance on the world stage usually focus on a single dimension of China's increasing power, rather than on the multiple sources of China's rise, including its economic might and the continuing modernization of its military. This book offers multiple analytical perspectives—constructivist, liberal, neorealist—on the significance of the many dimensions of China's regional and global influence. Distinguished authors consider the likelihood of conflict and peaceful accommodation as China grows ever stronger. They look at the changing position of China "from the inside": How do Chinese policymakers evaluate the contemporary international order and what are the regional and global implications of that worldview? The authors also address the implications of China's increasing power for Chinese policymaking and for the foreign policies of Korea, Japan, and the United States.


Polarity, Balance of Power and International Relations Theory

Polarity, Balance of Power and International Relations Theory

Author: Goedele De Keersmaeker

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-12-04

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 3319426524

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This book discusses the rise of polarity as a key concept in International Relations Theory. Since the end of the Cold War, until at least the end of 2010, there has been a wide consensus shared by American academics, political commentators and policy makers: the world was unipolar and would remain so for some time. By contrast, outside the US, a multipolar interpretation prevailed. This volume explores this contradiction and questions the Neorealist claim that polarity is the central structuring element of the international system. Here, the author analyses different historic eras through a polarity lens, compares the way polarity is used in the French and US public discourses, and through careful examination, reaches the conclusion that polarity terminology as a theoretical concept is highly influenced by the Cold War context in which it emerged. This volume is an important resource for students and researchers with a critical approach to Neorealism, and to those interested in the defining shifts the world went through during the last twenty five years.


International Relations Theory of War

International Relations Theory of War

Author: Ofer Israeli

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2019-04-10

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1440871353

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Covering 1816–2016, this book deals extensively with the international system as well as the territorial outcomes of several key wars that were waged during that time period, providing an instructive lesson in diplomatic history and international relations among global powers. Based on an in-depth review of the leading theories in the field of international relations, International Relations Theory of War explains an innovative theory on the international system, developed by the author, that he applies comprehensively to a large number of case studies. The book argues that there is a unipolar system that represents a kind of innovation relative to other systemic theories. It further posits that unipolar systems will be less stable than bipolar systems and more stable than multipolar systems, providing new insights relative to other theories that argue that unipolar systems are the most stable ones. The first chapter is devoted to explaining the manner of action of the two dependent variables—systemic international outcome and intra-systemic international outcome. The second chapter presents the international relations theory of war and its key assumptions. The third chapter precisely defines the distribution of power in the system. The fourth chapter examines the theory's two key phenomena. The fifth and last chapter presents the book's conclusions by examining the theoretical assumptions of the international relations theory of war.


International Relations Theory and the Asia-Pacific

International Relations Theory and the Asia-Pacific

Author: G. John Ikenberry

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 463

ISBN-13: 0231125909

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What tools will international relations theorists need to understand the complex relationship among China, Japan, and the United States as the three powers shape the economic and political future of this crucial region? Some of the best and most innovative scholars in international relations and Asian area studies gather here with the working premise that stability in the broader Asia-Pacific region is in large part a function of the behavior of, and relationships among, these three major powers.