World Disorders

Nuanced meditations on the nature of world politics in the post–Cold War era. . . . [Hoffmann is] unfailingly insightful and compassionate, attributes often missing in the discipline of political science. Overall, he has two concerns here: to examine the state of current international relations, to critique the methods and approaches used to understand these relations. . . . Sophisticated and provocative, Hoffmann's writing gives the reader much to consider. * Kirkus *
This collection of remarkable essays addresses the great complexities of post-Cold War world politics. . . . [Hoffmann] is at his best in illuminating the shaky foundations of modern world politics and underscoring the limitations of the theoretical and policy constructs in vogue today. -- G. John Ikenberry, Princeton University * Foreign Affairs *
Stanley Hoffmann, a sober idealist in the tradition of Hedley Bull, shows how a foreign policy that blends interests and values—as well as order and justice—is not only desirable but possible. Along the way, he elegantly but ruthlessly skewers proponents of both narrow realism and liberal internationalism. The thoughtful essays that constitute World Disorders make clear why Hoffmann enjoys a reputation as one of this country's leading analysts of world affairs. -- Richard N. Haas, The Brookings Institution
In this seminal work, Hoffmann takes on the 'realists' by questioning whether their appreciation of power is too narrow and leaves out the influence of domestic politics and ideals. He also challenges the growing academic influence on those who would make a science of politics, pointing out that they have forgotten the value of common sense and looking things up. Finally, he does again what he has done so brilliantly many times before: He helps us put in place the major jigsaw pieces of the international puzzle. -- Leslie H. Gelb, Council on Foreign Relations
The essays make the case for an ambitious agenda: to focus state craft on the problems of governance for the future. * Foreign Affairs *
There is no better guide to the riddles and puzzles of international relations after the Cold War than these collected essays by America’s (and Europe’s) leading philosopher of world politics. Without a trace of dogma or pretension of retrospective omniscience, Stanley Hoffmann offers us a wide-ranging portrait of our times. The essays illuminate the most troubling issues of nationalisms old and new, humanitarian intervention, the collapse of states and economies in the developing world, and the arrogances and complacencies of the developed world. Ten years’ worth of the collected wisdom of this deeply learned and generously humane critic, this volume should be read (and re-read) by every student of the field and every citizen who will need to judge the role the United States and its allies should play in a world that, as Hoffmann explains, we can neither legitimately control nor safely escape. -- Michael W. Doyle, Princeton University
For those who like their analyses well written, this is an excellent book. Stanley Hoffmann is revealed in these essays as a nuanced and refined realist thinker who is concerned to provide 'some small steps to world order', on the basis both of a healthy scepticism and prerequisite optimism. What this book provides is an urbane and coherent sense of an interpretation of the nature of the problems of world politics infused with the experience of a lifetime of analysis and an interesting mix of acerbic wit and compassionate humour. * International Affairs *
Hoffmann lucidly points out the limits of Realism, the shortcomings of international Liberalism, and above all challenges the views of those who try to make a science of politics. * Political Studies Review *
Stanley Hoffmann, a well-respected professor of world politics at Harvard University, has been among the more outspoken and articulate commentators on the condition of the post-Cold War era. In this well-written volume he seeks both to describe the post-Cold War world and to prescribe ways in which to make it a better place for humanity. * Journal of Strategic Studies *
The book is a collection of essays written by one of the most distinguished scholars of international affairs throughout the 1990s. Hoffmann addresses, as usual, the important themes in world politics. * Political Studies Association *