Explaining and Understanding International Relations

Are the workings of the international world to be explained scientifically, or are they to be understood through their inward meaning? In Explaining and Understanding International Relations philosopher Martin Hollis and international relations scholar Steve Smith join forces to analyse the dominant theories of international relations and to examine the philosophical issues underlying them. The book has three parts. In the first the authors review the growth of the discipline since 1918, pose the 'level of analysis' problem of whether to account for a sytem in terms of its units or vice versa, and contrast the demand of scientific method with those of interpretative understanding. In the second they apply the contrast to four factors often cited in accounting for international behaviour - the international system, the state, bureaucracies, and decision-making individuals. Rival accounts of the games nations play are offered in readiness for the final part, where the authors propose a theoretical agenda, air their differences, and invite readers to take sides. By tackling deep theoretical issues with lucidity and verve this book will excite debate among theorists and students of international relations while also engaging thought about the philosophical character of the social sciences.

ISBN 0198275897   Pages 234 ISBN13 9780198275893 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Oxford University Press   Weight (grammes) 280 Imprint Clarendon Press   Published in Oxford Format Paperback   Series title Clarendon Paperbacks Publication date 04 Jul 1991   Height (mm) 216 Non-book description vii226   Width (mm) 138 Library of Congress JX1245.H65   Spine width (mm) 17 DEWEY 327.101   Academic level Tertiary education DEWEY edition DC20

Introduction: Two Traditions; The Growth of a Discipline; Explaining; Understanding; The International System; The Games Nations Play (1); Roles and Reasons; The Games Nations Play (2); Explaining and Understanding; Guide to Further Reading

"Thoughtful and stimulating....A splendid contribution to the study of international relations."--Perspectives on Political Science

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