next page > title: The Perils of Anarchy : Contemporary Realism and International Security International Security Readers author: Brown, Michael E.; Lynn-Jones, Sean M.; Miller, Steven E. publisher: MIT Press isbn10 | asin: 0262522020 print isbn13: 9780262522021 ebook isbn13: 9780585346205 language: English subject International relations, Security, International, Realism, Anarchism, Anarchism. publication date: 1995 lcc: JX1391.B688 1995eb ddc: 327.1/01 subject: International relations, Security, International, Realism, Anarchism, Anarchism. cover next page > < previous page page_i next page > Page i The Perils of Anarchy: < previous page page_i next page > < previous page page_ii next page > Page ii International Security Readers Strategy and Nuclear Deterrence (1984) Military Strategy and the Origins of the First World War (1985) Conventional Forces and American Defense Policy (1986) The Star Wars Controversy (1986) Naval Strategy and National Security (1988) Military Strategy and the Origins of the First World War, revised and expanded edition (1991) published by Princeton University Press Soviet Military Policy (1989) Conventional Forces and American Defense Policy, revised edition (1989) Nuclear Diplomacy and Crisis Management (1990) The Cold War and After: Prospects for Peace (1991) America's Strategy in a Changing World (1992) The Cold War and After: Prospects for Peace, expanded edition (1993) Global Dangers: Changing Dimensions of International Security (1995) The Perils of Anarchy: Contemporary Realism and International Security (1995) published by The MIT Press < previous page page_ii next page > < previous page page_iii next page > Page iii The Perils of Anarchy Contemporary Realism and Intemational Security An International Security Reader Edited by Michael E. Brown Sean M. Lynn-Jones and Steven E. Miller < previous page page_iii next page > < previous page page_iv next page > Page iv The contents of this book were first published in International Security (ISSN 0162-2889), a publication of The MIT Press under the sponsorship of the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. Except as otherwise noted, copyright in each article is owned jointly by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. William C. Wohlforth, "Realism and the End of the Cold War," 19:3 (Winter 1994/95); Kenneth N. Waltz, "The Emerging Structure of International Politics," 18:2 (Fall 1993); John J. Mearsheimer,"Back to the Future: Instability in Europe after the Cold War," 15:1 (Summer 1990); Christopher Layne, "The Unipolar Illusion: Why New Great Powers Will Rise," 17:4 (Spring 1993); Peter Liberman, ''The Spoils of Conquest," 18:2 (Fall 1993); Stephen M. Walt, "Alliance Formation and the Balance of World Power," 9:4 (Spring 1985); Randall Schweller, "Bandwagoning for Profit: Bringing the Revisionist State Back In," 19:1 (Summer 1994); Christopher Layne, "Kant or Cant: The Myth of the Democratic Peace," 19:2 (Fall 1994); John J. Mearsheimer, "The False Promise of International Institutions," 19:3 (Winter 1994/95); Charles L. Glaser, "Realists as Optimists: Cooperation as Self-Help," 19:3 (Winter 1994/95); Paul Schroeder, "Historical Reality vs. Neorealist Theory," 19:1 (Summer 1994); Fareed Zakaria, "Realism and Domestic Politics: A Review Essay," 17:1 (Summer 1992); Lisa L. Martin, "Institutions and Cooperation: Sanctions During the Falkland Islands Conflict," 16:4 (Spring 1992). Selection and preface, copyright © 1995 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from The MIT Press. For information, please address The MIT Press, Journals Department, 55 Hayward Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02142 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brown, Michael E. (Michael Edward), 1954- The perils of anarchy: contemporary realism and international security / edited by Michael E. Brown, Sean M. Lynn-Jones and Steven E. Miller. p. cm. (International security readers) Includes bibliographical references (p. ). ISBN 0-262-52202-0 1. International relations 2. Security, International. 3. Realism. 4. Anarchism. 5. Anarchism. I. Lynn-Jones, Sean M. II. Miller, Steven E. III. Title. IV. Series. JX1391.B688 1995 327.1'.01dc20 94-24041 CIP < previous page page_v next page > < previous page page_iv next page > < previous page next page > page_ix Page ix PREFACE Sean M. Lynn-Jones and Steven E. Miller Realism is at the center of many contemporary debates about the theory and practice of international politics. Realists continue to engage in a spirited debate with their critics, and different schools within realism argue over the merits of contending realist theories. These debates have contributed to much intellectual ferment and spurred scholars to refine contemporary realism. This volume contains several important contributions to the continuing debates over realist theory.1 There is a long and rich tradition of realist thinking about international politics. Thucydides, Machiavelli, and Hobbes all have contributed to the evolution of realist thought. They and other writers have emphasized the enduring importance of power, conflict, and military force in international politics. The contemporary realists represented in this volume focus on similar issues. Realism is a general approach to international politics, not a single theory. There are many different realist theories of international politics, but most realists share the following core beliefs about the nature of international politics.2 First, realists believe that states are the most important actors in international politics. They therefore focus on explaining the behavior of states and tend to pay less attention to individuals and transnational actors like corporations and multinational organizations. Second, realists regard anarchythe absence of any common sovereignas the distinguishing feature of international life. Without a central authority to enforce agreements or to guarantee security, states must rely on their own means to protect their interests. Third, realists assume that states seek to maximize either their power or their security. Some realists focus on power as an end in itself, whereas others regard it as a means to security. Fourth, realists usually assume that states generally adopt rational policies that aim to achieve power and/or security. Fifth, realists normally agree that states will tend to rely on the threat or use 1. An earlier volume, Sean M. Lynn-Jones and Steven E. Miller, eds., The Cold War and After: Prospects for Peace, expanded edition (Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 1993) covered related themes, but concentrated on explanations of the long postwar peace and whether it will continue after the Cold War. Two essays from that volume are reprinted here because they present important realist theories before applying them to the post Cold War world. 2. For other discussions of the elements and assumptions of realism, see Robert O. Keohane, "Realism, Neorealism and the Study of World Politics," in Keohane, ed., Neorealism and its Critics (New York: Columbia University Press, 1986), pp. 7 16; Robert Gilpin, "The Richness of the Tradition of Political Realism," in Keohane, Neorealism and its Critics, pp. 304 305; and Stephen M. Walt, "Alliances, Threats, and U.S. Grand Strategy: A Reply to Kaufman and Labs," Security Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Spring 1992), pp. 473 474. In addition, most realists spell out their assumptions when they explicate their own theories. < previous page page_ix next page > page_v Page v CONTENTS The Contributors vii Acknowledgments viii < previous page next page > Preface ix Part I: Realism and International Order, Old and New Realism and the End of the Cold War William C. Wohlforth 3 The Emerging Structure of International Politics Kenneth N. Waltz 42 Back to the Future: Instability in Europe after the Cold War John J. Mearsheimer 78 The Unipolar Illusion: Why New Great Powers Will Rise Christopher Layne 130 Part II: Realism on the Sources of Alignment and Aggression The Spoils of Conquest Peter Liberman 179 Alliance Formation and the Balance of World Power Stephen M. Walt 208 Bandwagoning for Profit: Bringing the Revisionist State Back In Randall Schweller 249 Part III: Realism and the Causes of Peace Kant or Cant: The Myth of the Democratic Peace Christopher Layne 287 The False Promise of International Institutions John J. Mearsheimer 332 Realists as Optimists: Cooperation as Self-Help Charles L. Glaser 377 Part IV: Real Flaws? Criticisms of Realism Historical Reality vs. Neo-realist Theory Paul Schroeder 421 Realism and Domestic Politics: A Review Essay Fareed Zakaria 462 Institutions and Cooperation: Sanctions During the Falkland Islands Conflict Lisa L. Martin 484 < previous page page_v next page > page_vii Page vii THE CONTRIBUTORS < previous page next page > MICHAEL E. BROWN is Co-Editor of International Security and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University. SEAN M. LYNN-JONES is Co-Editor of International Security and a Research Fellow at the Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University. STEVEN E. MILLER is Editor-in-Chief of International Security and Director of the International Security Program at the Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University. WILLIAM C. WOHLFORTH is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Princeton University. KENNETH N. WALTZ is Professor of Political Science at the University of California (Berkeley). JOHN J. MEARSHEIMER is Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. CHRISTOPHER LAYNE is a foreign and defense policy consultant in Los Angeles. PETER LIBERMAN is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Tulane University in New Orleans. STEPHEN M. WALT is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. RANDALL SCHWELLER is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University. CHARLES L. GLASER is Acting Dean of the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago. PAUL W. SCHROEDER is Professor of History and Political Science at the University of Illinois (UrbanaChampaign). FAREED ZAKARIA is Managing Editor of Foreign Affairs. LISA L. MARTIN is Associate Professor of Government at Harvard University. < previous page page_vii next page > page_viii Page viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The editors gratefully acknowledge the assistance that has made this book possible. A deep debt is owed to all those at the Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, who have played an editorial role at International Security. Special thanks go to Mera Kachgal at CSIA and to Sally Gregg at MIT Press for their invaluable help in preparing this volume for publication. < previous page page_viii next page >