Martin Wight - Böcker

History and International Relations collects works by the late Professor Martin Wight (1913-1972), an historian and scholar of international relations. Wight conducted research on many topics, including British colonial history, European studies, international institutions, and the history of states-systems, and is nonetheless best known for his lectures about the political philosophy of international relations at the London School of Economics (1949-1961) and the University of Sussex (1961-1972). He is widely regarded as an intellectual ancestor and pathbreaker of the “English School” of international relations, even though this term only gained currency nine years after his death. The “English School” is usually construed as signifying an approach to the study of international relations more rooted in historical and humanistic learning than in the social sciences. This volume encompasses works in four categories: (a) standards of excellence in scholarship about history and international relations; (b) European integration efforts since 1945; (c) British policy in the Middle East, notably in relation to the 1956 Suez crisis; and (d) European politics in the interwar period leading up to 1939. This last category features four chapters by Wight from the noteworthy Chatham House collection sponsored by the Royal Institute of International Affairs, The World in March 1939. These chapters on Germany and Eastern Europe stand out as exceptionally thorough and discerning, owing in part to their reliance on a wealth of primary and secondary sources. This collection also includes Wight's reviews of works by Geoffrey Barraclough, Marc Bloch, Herbert Butterfield, R. G. Collingwood, Denis Mack Smith, Sir Lewis Namier, A. J. P. Taylor, Arnold J. Toynbee, Veronica Wedgwood, and other historians.

Foreign Policy and Security Strategy collects works by the late Professor Martin Wight (1913-1972), an historian and scholar of international relations. Wight conducted research on many topics, including British colonial history, European studies, international institutions, and the history of states-systems. He is nonetheless best known for his lectures about the political philosophy of international relations at the London School of Economics (1949-1961) and the University of Sussex (1961-1972). He is widely regarded as an intellectual ancestor and pathbreaker of the “English School” of international relations, even though this term only gained currency nine years after his death. The “English School” is usually construed as signifying an approach to the study of international relations more rooted in historical and humanistic learning than in the social sciences. Despite Wight's reputation as a scholar focused on historical and philosophical matters, he articulated noteworthy policy prescriptions in six domains: (a) the balance of power; (b) international order, notably regarding neutrality and nationalism; (c) nuclear weapons and international politics; (d) interests, honour, and prestige in statecraft; (e) disarmament and public opinion; and (f) the United Nations. These writings have been neglected, partly because his perfectionism led him to refrain from publishing many of them. However, as this new collection of his works (many previously unpublished) shows, he took distinctive positions on practical policy questions. He asked “Does Peace Take Care of Itself?” - as implied by Kantian principles - and concluded that it does not, and that purposeful action will therefore be necessary.

Diplomatic Investigations is a classic work in the field of International Relations. It is one of the few books in the field of International Relations (IR) that can be called iconic. Edited by Herbert Butterfield and Martin Wight, it brings together twelve papers delivered to early meetings of the British Committee on the Theory of International Politics, including several classic essays: Wight's 'Why is there no International Theory?' and 'Western Values in International Relations', Hedley Bull's 'Society and Anarchy in International Relations' and 'The Grotian Conception of International Society', and the two contributions made by Butterfield and by Wight on 'The Balance of Power'. Individually and collectively, these chapters have influenced not just the English school of international relations, but also a range of other approaches to the field of IR.After Diplomatic Investigations ceased to be available in print, it became a highly sought after book in the second-hand marketplace. This reissue, which includes a new introduction by Ian Hall and Tim Dunne, will ensure the book is available in the normal way, thereby enabling new generations of students and scholars to appreciate the work.

This book collects works by the late Professor Martin Wight (1913-1972), an historian and scholar of international relations. He conducted research on many topics, including British colonial history, European studies, international institutions, and the history and sociology of states-systems. He is nonetheless best known for his teaching about the political philosophy of international relations at the London School of Economics (1949-1961) and the University of Sussex (1961-1972). He is widely regarded as an intellectual ancestor and path-breaker of the 'English School' of international relations, even though this term only gained currency nine years after his death. While there is no generally accepted definition of the 'English School', it is usually construed as signifying an approach to the study of international relations more rooted in historical and humanistic learning than in the social sciences. Wight's achievements are consistent with this broad definition. This volume includes works in four categories: (a) traditions of thinking about international relations since the sixteenth century; (b) the causes and functions of war; (c) international and regime legitimacy; and (d) fortune and irony in international politics. In addition to classic essays such as 'Why Is There No International Theory?' and 'Western Values in International Relations' that complement his posthumous 1991 book International Theory: The Three Traditions, this volume includes previously unpublished works on international legitimacy and the causes of war. Wight's analysis of legitimacy examines the evolution of thinking from dynastic to popular approaches, while his work on the causes of war builds on Thucydides and Hobbes.

This book collects works by the late Professor Martin Wight (1913-1972), an historian and scholar of international relations.Wight conducted research on many topics, including British colonial history, European studies, international institutions, and the history of states-systems. He is nonetheless best known for his lectures about the political philosophy of international relations at the London School of Economics (1949-1961) and the University of Sussex (1961-1972). He is widely regarded as an intellectual ancestor and pathbreaker of the 'English School' of international relations, even though this term only gained currency nine years after his death. While there is no generally accepted definition of the 'English School', it is usually construed as signifying an approach to the study of international relations more rooted in historical and humanistic learning than in the social sciences. Wight's achievements are consistent with this broad definition.This volume draws together a number of Wight's published works as well as many of his previously unpublished, obscurely published, and anonymous writings about faith and the philosophy of history. Owing to his premature death at the age of 58, he was unable to complete several works in progress, partly because his perfectionism led him to refrain from publishing many of them.

Martin Wight was one of the most profound and influential thinkers on international relations of his time; and his work is increasingly discussed, appraised, and drawn upon today. His earlier volume of posthumously-published lectures - International Theory: The Three Traditions - is now regarded as a seminal text. That volume is here complemented and completed. In these four lectures Wight takes the archetypal thinkers of the three traditions - Machiavelli, Grotius, and Kant - to whom he adds Mazzini, the father of all revolutionary nationalism (and so the prototype of such as Nehru, Nasser, and Mandela) and subjects their writings and careers to a masterly analysis and commentary. This volume has been prepared and edited by Gabriele Wight and Brian Porter, and contains an important new introduction to Wight's thought by Professor David S. Yost. The volume also contains a preface by Sir Michael Howard, CH.