Anarchy & Order: The Interplay of Politics and Law in International Relations

In his analysis of the political parameters of international law, and conversely, the law's relevance to international relations, Hsiung (politics, New York U.; Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences) reconciles the competing dominant theoretical paradigms in the IR field neorealism and neoliberalism. In chapters on international law in systemic perspective, self-help and systemic order, sovereignty and its restraint, and the rise of community interests, he explains how anarchy paradoxically fosters norms and institutions. His conclusion looks back to Hobbesian, Kantian, and Grotian perspectives, and forward to future trends. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.