Dynamics of International Relations (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from Dynamics of International Relations The methodological challenge of this approach has been severe. Empirical material is frequently unavailable or inaccessible, especially in the case of underdeveloped countries and totalitarian regimes. Some of the generaliza tions in Part I, therefore, are closer to the abstract model type of treat ment than to detailed empirical formulation. Chapter 4 is especially open to the charge of being an overly abstract statement of processes for which there is no unambiguous empirical support. If our formulation errs, there fore, we hope that the effort will act as a stimulus to further and more pre cise investigation. We make no claim to any unique value or to finality in offering this type of analysis. Rather, we feel that it will throw light upon certain important aspects of social relations across national boundaries which tend to be neglected in contemporary discussions. Certainly, this frame of reference for the study of international relations is not the only possible one, nor is it necessarily the best. We feel that it is helpful for an understanding of behavior and therefore as a guide to what is possible in terms of changes in patterns of national conduct. In political science, as in all the social sciences, all methodology is partial and incomplete. As a major caveat to the reader, we must point out that this approach is not designed to yield a normative appreciation of inter national relations. We have tried to examine how things are, not how they should be. We have excluded value judgments as rigorously as the limited validity of the concept of ethical neutrality permits. In its mechanics, this book differs from other texts in the field in the minimization of historical material. Such materials have been selected largely from the period since 1914, with particular emphasis upon events since 1945. The decision to utilize more recent illustrative examples rather than earlier ones stems from our conviction that the contemporary undergraduate is far better informed on recent history. Therefore our examples will carry more meaning in terms of his memory and experiences and obviate the necessity for a complete statement of the historical setting. No attempt is made to present a systematic historical review of international relations. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.