The Great Powers and the International System by Bear F Braumoeller

The Great Powers and the International System by Bear F Braumoeller

Do great leaders make history? Or are they compelled to act by historical circumstance? This debate has remained unresolved since Thomas Carlyle and Karl Marx framed it in the mid-nineteenth century, yet implicit answers inform our policies and our views of history. In this book, Professor Bear F. Braumoeller argues persuasively that both perspectives are correct: leaders shape the main material and ideological forces of history that subsequently constrain and compel them. His studies of the Congress of Vienna, the interwar period, and the end of the Cold War illustrate this dynamic, and the data he marshals provide systematic evidence that leaders both shape and are constrained by the structure of the international system.

"Braumoeller presents the first logically sound and empirically tested systemic theory of international relationsHe challenges systemic theorists such as Waltz and Wendt and combines rigorous theory, historical analysis, and statistical testing in one coherent package. He engages a wide range of literatures and debates, from the agent–structure debate to computational systems theory to the historical legacy of the Congress of Vienna, all with keen intelligence and even wit." Andrew Kydd, University of Wisconsin
"Neither structural theories nor agent-based theories can adequately account for the fact that the system influences the behavior of states and states act to shape the system. Through rigorous theorizing, sophisticated statistical tests, and historical case studies, Braumoeller explains these reciprocal dynamics, and in the process transcends existing theoretical debates. This is systemic theory at its best. It deserves the fullest attention of all serious international relations scholars." Jack S. Levy, Board of Governors' Professor, Rutgers University
"Bear F. Braumoeller’s The Great Powers and the International System: Systemic Theory in Empirical Perspective accomplishes what no other scholarly work has effectively done by bridging the agent-structure gap and arguing for a truly systemic theory of international relations." Michael Cairo, Transylvania University, H-Net Reviews

Bear F. Braumoeller is a political scientist and an Associate Professor at Ohio State University. He has previously held faculty positions at Harvard University and the University of Illinois. His research lies at the intersection of international security, statistics and diplomatic history and in particular on translating the nuanced and contextual arguments of students of world politics into new statistical methods for political scientists. His work has been published in journals such as the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, International Organization, Political Analysis and International Studies Quarterly.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781107005419
ISBN 10	1107005418
Title	The Great Powers and the International System
Author	Bear F Braumoeller
Series	Cambridge Studies In International Relations
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2013-02-11
Number of pages	302
Prizes	Winner of ISA Annual Best Book Award, International Studies Association 2014, Short-listed for Best Book Award, International Security Studies Section, International Studies Association 2014
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.