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An Analysis of Hans J. Morgenthau's Politics Among Nations: Politics Among Nations
Hans Morgenthau's Politics Among Nations is a classic of political science, built on the firm foundation of Morgenthau's watertight reasoning skills.
The central aim of reasoning is to construct a logical and persuasive argument that carefully organizes and supports its conclusions - often around a central concept or scheme of argumentation. Morgenthau's subject was international relations - the way in which the world's nations interact, and come into conflict or peace - a topic which was of vital importance during the unstable wake of the Second World War. To the complex problem of understanding the ways in which the post-war nations were jostling for power, Morgenthau brought a comprehensive schema: the concept of "realism" - or, in other words, the idea that every nation will act so as to maximise its own interests. From this basis, Morgenthau builds a systematic argument for a pragmatic approach to international relations in which nations seeking consensus should aim for a balance of power, grounding relations between states in understandings of how the interests of individual nations can be maximized.
Though seismic shifts in international politics after the Cold War undeniably altered the landscape of international relations, Morgenthau's dispassionate reasoning about the nature of our world remains influential to this day.
The central aim of reasoning is to construct a logical and persuasive argument that carefully organizes and supports its conclusions - often around a central concept or scheme of argumentation. Morgenthau's subject was international relations - the way in which the world's nations interact, and come into conflict or peace - a topic which was of vital importance during the unstable wake of the Second World War. To the complex problem of understanding the ways in which the post-war nations were jostling for power, Morgenthau brought a comprehensive schema: the concept of "realism" - or, in other words, the idea that every nation will act so as to maximise its own interests. From this basis, Morgenthau builds a systematic argument for a pragmatic approach to international relations in which nations seeking consensus should aim for a balance of power, grounding relations between states in understandings of how the interests of individual nations can be maximized.
Though seismic shifts in international politics after the Cold War undeniably altered the landscape of international relations, Morgenthau's dispassionate reasoning about the nature of our world remains influential to this day.
102 pages, Paperback
Published July 5, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 24, 2018
This is a short summary & analysis of Morgenthau's book. I've heard of it & how influential it is & has been on international politics, a subject I am completely ignorant of. I thought this might help shed a little light on the subject & it does, but it was too simplistic & very redundant. Kind of read like a student's guide. Unfortunately, they left in "Chapter x, section y" & such which helped lead to yet more redundancy. The narrating voice was good, but it was poorly scripted.
Well, it was only a couple of hours, so not a huge waste of time. Not recommended, though.
Well, it was only a couple of hours, so not a huge waste of time. Not recommended, though.
July 12, 2020
This is a short summary and analysis of the work by Hans Morgenthau, a refugee of Nazi Germany, and later a faculty member at the University of Chicago from 1937 – 1973, where he wrote the book “Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace,” first published in 1948, and with a total of seven editions. This book “lays out the tenets of realism – a theoretical approach to international relations founded on the idea that a state’s behavior is driven by the desire to accumulate more power than other states” (p 9). The author also “discusses the two main checks and balances in the search for power – international morality and international law” (p11). The authors “most timeless criticism, as a speaker of ‘truth to power,’ was that no nation should confuse its national interest with a moral crusade – to do so results in unnecessary suffering, and the eventual failure of that nation” (p 17).
“Morgenthau introduced realism as a theory. But he also introduced the scientific method as a way to study international relations (p13).”
This concise book provides an overview of the ideas in “Politics Among Nations”, discusses the impact of the book on the field over the last 60 years including contemporary ideas that still reference and building on Morgenthau’s ideas.
Each section of the book provides three high-level bullets about the key points, contain a key quote from Morgenthau or others, and references. There are several sections at the book’s end that give a glossary of terms used, an annotated list of people mentioned in the text, and a list of references.
And of course, no 70-page summarized version of “Politics among Nations” can capture the multidimensional arguments in the book, that have kept it relevant over the 60+ years since it originally appeared. As I understand it, it great influenced not just that academic world, but bridged to the practioner’s world of George Keenan and Henry Kissinger, to name just two people.
I had first read about the book in a New York Times article by Barry Gewen, May 9, 2020 (https://nyti.ms/2zrMv7u) “The Book that Shaped Foreign Policy for a Generation Has More to Say.” Gewen states “Morgenthau’s book so revolutionized thinking that its author has been called the founding father of the entire modern study of international affairs. Some have compared his status to that of Freud in psychology.” The rest of the article motivated me to find a copy on Abebooks.com. I did find an inexpensive 3rd edition (the most recent 7th edition (2005) is quite pricey (on Amazon you can find prices ranged up to $577.36).
“Morgenthau introduced realism as a theory. But he also introduced the scientific method as a way to study international relations (p13).”
This concise book provides an overview of the ideas in “Politics Among Nations”, discusses the impact of the book on the field over the last 60 years including contemporary ideas that still reference and building on Morgenthau’s ideas.
Each section of the book provides three high-level bullets about the key points, contain a key quote from Morgenthau or others, and references. There are several sections at the book’s end that give a glossary of terms used, an annotated list of people mentioned in the text, and a list of references.
And of course, no 70-page summarized version of “Politics among Nations” can capture the multidimensional arguments in the book, that have kept it relevant over the 60+ years since it originally appeared. As I understand it, it great influenced not just that academic world, but bridged to the practioner’s world of George Keenan and Henry Kissinger, to name just two people.
I had first read about the book in a New York Times article by Barry Gewen, May 9, 2020 (https://nyti.ms/2zrMv7u) “The Book that Shaped Foreign Policy for a Generation Has More to Say.” Gewen states “Morgenthau’s book so revolutionized thinking that its author has been called the founding father of the entire modern study of international affairs. Some have compared his status to that of Freud in psychology.” The rest of the article motivated me to find a copy on Abebooks.com. I did find an inexpensive 3rd edition (the most recent 7th edition (2005) is quite pricey (on Amazon you can find prices ranged up to $577.36).
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews