The Anarchical Society [electronic resource] : A Study of Order in World Politics

In this, his most systematic and fundamental work, Hedley Bull explores three key questions: what is the nature of order in world politics?; how is it maintained in the contemporary state system?; and what alternative paths to world order are feasible and desirable? He argues that the system of sovereign states is not in decline and is not an obstacle to world order but its essential foundation. This second edition includes a foreword by Stanley Hoffmann assessing the importance and relevance of Hedley Bull's text some two decades after its initial publication. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Concept of Order in World Politics....Pages 3-21 Does Order Exist in World Politics?....Pages 22-50 How is Order Maintained in World Politics?....Pages 51-73 Order versus Justice in World Politics....Pages 74-94 Front Matter....Pages 95-95 The Balance of Power and International Order....Pages 97-121 International Law and International Order....Pages 122-155 Diplomacy and International Order....Pages 156-177 War and International Order....Pages 178-193 The Great Powers and International Order....Pages 194-222 Front Matter....Pages 223-223 Alternatives to the Contemporary States System....Pages 225-247 The Decline of the States System?....Pages 248-271 The Obsolescence of the States System?....Pages 272-285 The Reform of the States System?....Pages 286-305 Conclusion....Pages 307-308 Back Matter....Pages 309-329 Hedley Bull. Previous Ed.: 1977. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A study of order in world politics must begin with the question: what is it?