Why Nations Cooperate: Circumstance and Choice In International Relations

Nations choose between cooperation and conflict, according to Arthur a. Stein, and such decisions underlie the entire range of international relations, from alliance to war. When, how, and why they choose between them, and with what consequences, constitute the primary foci of international politics. In this lively and accessible book, Stein offers a new explanation of international cooperation and conflict as products of circumstance and choice. He argues that a nation's choice of cooperation or conflict is constrained not only by the nature of the international system but also by specific circumstances and by the criteria for policy choices. Different ways of formulating and assessing national interest, he demonstrates, are especially important factors in the choice of cooperation. Stein illustrates his arguments about the bases of international cooperation and conflict with examples drawn from the study of diplomatic history, international political economy, and national security policy. The author's reassessment of such fundamental dichotomies as realism/liberalism and conflict/cooperation focuses on purposive calculation and makes use of models of strategic interaction. Stein argues that core assumptions about the autonomous self-interested behavior of states in an anarchic international system are consistent not only with conflict but with cooperation. He illuminates the ways in which strategic interaction analysis may be used to integrate the individual, the state, and the system in the study of international relations. He also refines our notions of security, hegemony, competition, and misperception and eventually our definition of choice.
ASIN: 0801424178
VSKU: BVV.0801424178.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Stein, Arthur A.
Binding: Hardcover
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Condition Notes: The item is very worn but is perfectly usable. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing age related spots and browning . May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.