1st Edition

Inequality and Violence A Re-appraisal of Man, the State and War

By Anna Cornelia Beyer Copyright 2014
    170 Pages
    by Routledge

    170 Pages
    by Routledge

    With Theory of International Politics Kenneth Waltz established Neo-realism as a major school of thought in IR, which still remains a dominant approach within the discipline in the Anglo-American world and beyond. Man, the State and War - his first contribution to the debate in IR and the predecessor to Theory of International Politics - received praise for its presentation of a discussion on the causes of international warfare as well as the possibilities of its prevention on three different levels of analysis: the individual, the state and the international system. This book reflects on the arguments presented in Man, the State and War from a contemporary perspective. Do Waltz's ideas still hold firm ground in the discipline? The book alerts to the perceived necessity of combining conceptions of governance and authority with considerations on the reduction of inequality at the individual, state and international level. Inequality in particular has received increased attention as a cause for violence at all three levels since Waltz published Man, the State and War. The book also addresses Waltz's rejection of supranationalism as the remedy for war - a view that has been challenged since he wrote the book. One theme stands out: from today's perspective, the establishment and maintenance of 'good global governance' can be considered the most important aspect for the prevention of war.

    Acknowledgments; Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2; Man, the State and War; Revisited; Chapter 3 A Response to; Man, the State and War; Chapter 4 Human Nature and the Essence of Aggression; Chapter 5 Inequality and Violence; Chapter 6 Inequality and War at the International Level; Chapter 7 From Inequality to Global Governance; Chapter 8 Global Governance; Chapter 9 The Continuity of Power in Global Governance; Chapter 10 Inequality and Good Governance in the Global War on Terrorism; Chapter 11 Good Global Governance; Chapter 12 Conclusion;

    Biography

    Cornelia Beyer joined the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull in 2007, after lecturing at Tuebingen and Landau in Germany. Her past research centres on International Relations and Security Studies, with a particular interest in Terrorism and Counterterrorism. In addition, she is interested in Psychology and its contribution for understanding violence and conflict, and interdisciplinary perspectives on the causes of violence and aggression.

    ’Original, provocative and timely. Cornelia Beyer has produced a work of considerable importance for those of us interested in understanding a world seemingly preoccupied by war and conflict. Both scholarly and accessible to a general reader this is a work of power and imagination.’ Caroline Kennedy, The University of Hull, UK