Anarchy Society: A Study of World Political Order - (Second Edition)

Author: Hedley Bull
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-11-01
Features: This book starts from the basic premise that states form the international society, analyzing the significant theoretical question of how world order or international order is maintained. The author argues that international society institutions such as balance of power, international law, diplomacy, war, and great powers are closely related to the maintenance of international order. Hedley Bull's An Anarchy of States: A Study of World Political Order is a classic work in the field of international relations and one of the most renowned of the Western international relations theory school known as the "British School." Starting from the fundamental view that states constitute the international society, the book analyzes the major theoretical question of how world order or international order is maintained. The author contends that international society institutions such as balance of power, international law, diplomacy, war, and great powers are closely linked to the preservation of international order. Stanley Hoffmann, a distinguished American scholar and professor at Harvard University, wrote the foreword for the second edition of the book, highly praising Bull's work and noting the significant differences between the British approach to international relations research reflected in the book and the mainstream American approach. Reading this book helps us understand the "British School."