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The problem of "Realism in Foreign Policy" is a special manifistation of a general philosophic and intellectual problem which has been with us almost since the beginning of Western civilization. There are two fundamental attitudes that a man can take toward a political problem and a social problem in general. Either he can start with the assumption that this problem is the result of some historic incident, of some faulty institution or deficient social arrangement, and that by changing this arrangement of by transforming the institution that is, by bringing about some kind of reform the problem can be solved once and for all.

A review essay on a book by Donald MacKenzie, Inventing Accuracy: A Historical Sociology of Nuclear Missile Guidance (Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1990 [see listing in IRPS No. 69]). The book, based on 140 interviews with politicians & engineers in the US nuclear arms community, is applauded for its readability & demystification of conventionally technical issues. MacKenzie disputes the accuracy of expert technical facts (eg, missile targeting), & offers a counterargument to the technological determinism of continued arms production. He approaches the existing model of technology-influencing politics with a demonstration of the social construction of technology in a technically uncertain environment. 14 References. Adapted from the source document.

Recognizing the vital importance of concepts in shaping our understanding of international relations, this ground-breaking new book puts concepts front and centre, systematically unpacking them in a clear, critical and engaging way. With contributions from some of the foremost authorities in the field, Concepts in World Politics explores 17 core concepts, from democracy to globalization, sovereignty to revolution, and covers:. The multiple meanings of a concept, where these meanings come from, and how they are employed theoretically and practically. The consequences of using concepts to frame the world in one way or another. The method of concept analysis A challenging and stimulating read, Concepts in World Politics is an indispensable guide for all students of international relations looking to develop a more nuanced and sophisticated ...

Agrowing number of scholars have sought to re-centre emotions in our study of international politics, however an overarching book on how emotions matter to the study of politics and war is yet to be published. This volumeis aimed at filling that gap, proceeding from the assumption that a nuanced understanding of emotions can only enhance our engagement with contemporary conflict and war. Providinga range of perspectivesfrom a diversity of methodological approaches on the conditions, maintenance and interpretation of emotions, the contributors interrogate the multiple ways in which emotions function and matter to the study of global politics. Accordingly, the innovative contribution of this volume is its specific engagement with the role of emotions and constitution of emotional subjects in a range of different contexts of politics and war, including the gendered nature of war and security; war traumas; post-conflict reconstruction; and counterinsurgency operations. Looking at how we analyse emotions in war, why it matters, and what emotions doin global politics, this volume will be of interest to students and scholars of critical security studies and international relations alike.

THE AUTHOR EXPLORES THE INTER- AND INTRA-BLOC POLITICS OF OPPOSITION IN CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA--FOCUSING ON THE TWO MAJOR OPPOSITION PARTY ALLIANCES, THE CIVIC UNION AND THE UNITED OPPOSITION/FRONT FOR NATIONAL SALVATION.

The concept of power derives its meanings and theoretical roles from the theories in which it is embedded. There is hence no one concept of power, no single understanding of power, even if these understandings stand in relation to each other. Besides the usual theoretical traditions common to International Relations and the social sciences, from rationalist to constructivist and post-structuralist approaches, there is, however, also a specificity of power being a concept used in both political theory and political practice. A critical survey of these approaches needs to cast its net wide to see both the differences, but also links across these theoretical divides. Realist understandings of power are heavily impressed by political theory, especially when defining the particular ontology of 'the political'. They are also characterized by their attempt, so far not successful, to translate practical maxims of power into a scientific theory. Liberal and structural power approaches use power as a central factor for understanding outcomes and hierarchies, while generally neglecting any reference to political theory and often overloading the mere concept of power as if it were already a full-fledged theory. Finally, power has also been understood in the constitutive but often tacit processes of social recognition and identity formation, of technologies of government, and of the performativity of power categories when the latter interact with the social world, that is, the power politics that characterize the processes in which we 'make' the social world. Relating back to political practice and theory, these approaches risk repeating a realist fallacy. Whereas it is arguably correct to see power always connected to politics, not all politics is always connected or reducible to power. Seeing power not only as coercive but also productive should neither invite us to reduce all politics to it, nor to turn power into the meta-physical prime-mover of all things political.

This book begins with an introductory outline of the structure of the city politics of the United States. There is a study of the city in the federal system, including the politics of feudal aid. This is followed by four case studies: the political roles of mayor, manager, boss and adminstrator-entrepreneur in the city. Madgwick concludes with some comparative reflections indicating the significance of this study for British local government. This book was first published in 1970.

It is a commonplace to assert that science should be independent of politics. By this one usually means that the search for truth, which is the essential function of science, should not be influenced by political interests, which are the interests concerned with the establishment and maintenance of a definite social order or a particular social institution. Politics as the art of government, that is to say, the practice of regulating the social behavior of men, is a function of will and, as such, an activity which necessarily presupposes the conscious or unconscious assumption of values, the realization of which is the purpose of the activity. Science is a function of cognition; its aim is not to govern but to explain. To describe the world is its object. Its independence of politics means in the last analysis, that the scientist must not presuppose any value; consequently he has to restrict himself to an explanation and a description of his object without judging it as good or bad, i.e., as being in conformity with, or contrary to, a presupposed value. This implies that the statements by which a scientist describes and explains the object of his inquiry must not be influenced by values in which he himself believes.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- 1 Early History of Narcotics Use and Narcotics Legislation in the United States -- 2 Bureaucracy and Morality: An Organizational Perspective on a Moral Crusade -- 3 The Marihuana Tax Act -- 4 On Capturing an Opium King: The Politics of Law Sik Han's Arrest -- 5 The Drug Addict as a Folk Devil -- 6 The Police as Amplifiers of Deviancy -- 7 Methadone's Rise and Fall -- 8 The Politics of Drugs -- 9 Knowledge, Power, and Drug Effects -- 10 Playing a Cold Game: Phases of a Ghetto Career -- 11 Street Status and Drug Use -- 12 Drug Pushers: A Collective Portrait -- 13 The Culture of Civility -- 14 Scapegoating "Military Addicts": The Helping Hand Strikes Again -- 15 The Politics of Drugs -- 16 Cannabis, Alcohol, and the Management of Intoxication -- 17 Invitational Edges of Corruption: Some Consequences of Narcotic Law Enforcement -- Contributors -- Index

"The aim of this book, by providing a set of conceptual tools drawn from critical theory, is to open up questions and new problems and new research agendas for the study of environmental politics"--

This book challenges the idea of post-ideological consensus and offers a fresh perspective on the current state of political ideologies. Ideology and Politics presents an accessible account of a new era of ideological politics, where the dominant neo-liberalism has spawned a diverse global range of 'ideologies of opposition'. It situates these radical frameworks of change and protest in relation to more traditional 'anti' ideologies and seeks to re-establish the relevance of ideologies for political action in the contemporary world.