Peace and War by Raymond Aron is one of the greatest books ever
written on international relations. Aron's starting point is the
state of nature that exists between nations, a condition that
differs essentially from the civil state that holds within
political communities. Ever keeping this brute fact about the life
of nations in mind and ranging widely over political history and
many disciplines, Aron develops the essential analytical tools to
enable us to think clearly about the stakes and possibilities of
international relations.
In his first section, "Theory," Aron shows that, while
international relations can be mapped, and probabilities discerned,
no closed, global "science" of international relations is anything
more than a mirage. In the second part, "Sociology," Aron studies
the many ways various subpolitical forces influence foreign policy.
He emphasizes that no rigorous determinism is at work:
politics--and thus the need for prudent statesmanship--are
inescapable in international relations. In part three, "History,"
Aron offers a magisterial survey of the twentieth century. He looks
at key developments that have had an impact on foreign policy and
the emergence of what he calls "universal history," which brings
far-flung peoples into regular contact for the first time. In a
final section, "Praxeology," Aron articulates a normative theory of
international relations that rejects both the bleak vision of the
Machiavellians, who hold that any means are legitimate, and the
naivete of the idealists, who think foreign policy can be
overcome.
This new edition of Peace and War includes an informative
introduction by Daniel J. Mahoney and Brian C. Anderson, situating
Aron's thought in a new post-Cold War context, and evaluating his
contribution to the study of politics and international
relations.
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