International Equilibrium

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This book is a systematic comparative analysis of international relations and security organizations in a rich historical perspective. It follows the rising level of both real and attempted integration, beginning with the nineteenth-century Concert of Powers. It reexamines the search for new forms of international relations in the League of Nations and the United Nations, based on collective security, and analyzes the new and the old in the systems that compete over two different political ideals. The book concludes with a consideration of ways and means of breaking through the dilemma of regionalism versus universalism. Throughout, international politics and institutions are related to the changing social and material environment, notably the rise and spread of nationalism in Europe and elsewhere.

In addition to the concepts adapted from economic theory the analysis draws on a wide range of ideas from political philosophy, law, sociology, and the theory of public administration. The author’s conclusion indicates the conditions of progressively institutionalizing international politics without losing touch with compelling individualities.