Suchergebnisse

Following up on an earlier paper demonstrating statistically significant relationships between measures of recurring political-economic crises (hinterland incursions, trade collapses, economic contractions, and regime transitions) and a measure of climate deterioration (the interaction of falling Tigris-Euphrates river levels and years of warming/ drying), the inter-relationships among these variables are examined more closely for the 3400–1000 bce period. Theoretically focused on a test of Tainter's diminishing marginal return theory of societal collapse, additional indicators are introduced encompassing population (urban population size, urban popula-tion growth rate) as a proxy for diminishing marginal returns, two measures of centralization/ fragmentation (including imperial size), and the indicators used for the climate interaction term in the earlier paper. The multivariate logit outcome for interactions among and between the 11 variables reinforces the earlier findings linking climate deterioration to political-economic crises, extends the climate deterioration linkage to fragmentation and population decline, and finds relatively strong support for the Tainter derived expectation that diminishing marginal returns and fragmentation are closely linked but that both are less closely linked to recurring political-economic crises than might otherwise have been anticipated.

In introductory international relations courses, we were once
accustomed to contrast three alternative approaches: realism,
liberalism, and Marxism. The collapse of the Soviet Union
and the proclaimed triumph of liberal politicoeconomic ideas
has led to a deemphasis on the third paradigm or, in some
cases, its substitution by constructivism. But, contrary to
Fukuyama, history has not quite ended. Neo-Marxist inter-
pretations of international relations persist, and new and
interesting ones continue to emerge. The latest entry,
Boswell and Chase-Dunn's new book, is a case in point. As
long-time and leading contributors to world systems theory,
they employ their theoretical interpretation of modern his-
tory (the last 500 years) to explain what went wrong with
socialism and how the socialist strategy might still be salvaged
in a future world-system (with a hyphen).

In focusing on the rivalry deescalation problem, an expectancy theory is proposed, & hypotheses are outlined that can be used to discuss the Sino-Soviet case, with emphasis given to events that occurred from the 1970s through the 1990s. Existing knowledge about the Sino-Soviet case is used to determine the degree to which expectancy theory can be utilized. The conclusions suggest that the findings garnered from this study of Sino-Soviet relations have consequences for the development of an evolutionary framework for the study of international relations. 2 Tables, 2 Figures, 34 References. K. Larsen

The evolutionary approach offers a new paradigm for the study of international relations. This approach offers several advantages including evolutionary theory's ability to analyze the increasingly complex, interdependent, & coevolving nature of world politics & the global economy; its emphasis on the present rather than the future; & its capacity to generate new & better political theories. These advantages are highlighted in the papers that follow. Though the various authors do not reach a general consensus regarding the role of evolutionary theory, the ideas presented here strengthen the existing understanding of this new international relations paradigm. The first set of papers focuses on the central questions apparent in the evolutionary approach. The second examines the "bridges" that are evident between evolutionary international relations theory & other frameworks. The third applies evolutionary international relations theory to intergroup rivalry relationships. The fourth outlines the manner in which evolutionary arguments can be applied to the international political economy. K. Larsen

Summarizes the interdependence between long-term economic growth, political leadership, & global war, tracing changes in this relationship over the past millennium. A political science perspective on world-systems analysis is advanced that focuses on waves of political-economic processes rather than on the specific processes of capital accumulation, capitalism, & the core-periphery division of labor. Alternating periods of concentration & deconcentration in the relations between economics & politics are identified & analyzed in terms of K-waves & long cycles. As the world system is not autonomous, linkages between global & regional politics are also explored. 2 Tables, 2 Figures, 61 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Summarizes the interdependence between long-term economic growth, political leadership, & global war, tracing changes in this relationship over the past millennium. A political science perspective on world-systems analysis is advanced that focuses on waves of political-economic processes rather than on the specific processes of capital accumulation, capitalism, & the core-periphery division of labor. Alternating periods of concentration & deconcentration in the relations between economics & politics are identified & analyzed in terms of K-waves & long cycles. As the world system is not autonomous, linkages between global & regional politics are also explored. 2 Tables, 2 Figures, 61 References. K. Hyatt Stewart