The Ideological Origins of Great Power Politics, 1789–1989 (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) - Softcover

Haas, Mark L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801474078 ISBN 13: 9780801474071

Publisher: Cornell University Press, 2007

Synopsis

How do leaders perceive threat levels in world politics, and what effects do those perceptions have on policy choices? Mark L. Haas focuses on how ideology shapes perception. He does not delineate the content of particular ideologies, but rather the degree of difference among them. Degree of ideological difference is, he believes, the crucial factor as leaders decide which nations threaten and which bolster their state's security and their own domestic power. These threat perceptions will in turn impel leaders to make particular foreign-policy choices.

Haas examines great-power relations in five periods: the 1790s in Europe, the Concert of Europe (1815–1848), the 1930s in Europe, Sino-Soviet relations from 1949 to 1960, and the end of the Cold War. In each case he finds a clear relationship between the degree of ideological differences that divided state leaders and those leaders' perceptions of threat level (and so of appropriate foreign-policy choices). These relationships held in most cases, regardless of the nature of the ideologies in question, the offense-defense balance, and changes in the international distribution of power.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Mark L. Haas offers a new and sophisticated argument about how ideology shapes international politics. Marshalling an impressive amount of historical detail, Haas highlights three possible mechanisms by which ideological distance between nations can lead to conflict: demonstration effects, conflict probability, and communication."--Michael Desch, Robert M. Gates Chair in Intelligence and National Security Decision-Making, Texas A&M University

"This book takes a gigantic step forward in demonstrating how relative identities, or what Mark L. Haas calls domestic ideological similarities and differences, influence state behavior as much as relative power. Meticulous case studies from the Wars of the French Revolution, Concert of Europe, interwar period, and Cold War uncover fascinating evidence that realist historians missed. The Ideological Origins of Great Power Politics, 1789-1989 is a must-read for all theoretical schools of international relations."--Henry R. Nau, George Washington University, author of At Home Abroad: Identity and Power in American Foreign Policy

"This is an important investigation into the origins of perceived threat. Mark L. Haas argues that the ideological distance between ruling parties in different countries determines the degree of threat they will see from each other. Haas not only makes a case for the importance of ideological beliefs but also shows how these ideological differences interact with relative power--determining when power considerations will be more and less important. It is a useful contribution to the continuing neorealist debate about the origins of perceived threat."--Richard K. Herrmann, The Ohio State University

From the Inside Flap:

"Ideology has long been regarded as playing a key role in explaining international conflict, but Mark L. Haas offers a new and sophisticated argument about how ideology shapes international politics. Marshalling an impressive amount of historical detail, Haas highlights three possible mechanisms by which ideological distance between nations can lead to conflict: demonstration effects, conflict probability, and communication."—Michael Desch, Robert M. Gates Chair in Intelligence and National Security Decision-Making, Texas A&M University

"This book takes a gigantic step forward in demonstrating how relative identities, or what Mark L. Haas calls domestic ideological similarities and differences, influence state behavior as much as relative power. Meticulous case studies from the Napoleonic wars, Concert of Europe, interwar period, and Cold War uncover fascinating evidence that realist historians missed. The Ideological Origins of Great Power Politics, 1789-1989 is a must-read for all theoretical schools of international relations."—Henry R. Nau, George Washington University, author of At Home Abroad: Identity and Power in American Foreign Policy

About this edition

• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0801474078
• ISBN 13: 9780801474071
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248