How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy

Mearsheimer, John J.; Rosato, Sebastian

ISBN 10: 0300279876 / ISBN 13: 9780300279870

Published by Yale University Press, 2024

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300279876
• ISBN 13: 9780300279870
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: very_good

About this title

Synopsis

A groundbreaking examination of a central question in international relations: Do states act rationally?
 
To understand world politics, you need to understand how states think. Are states rational? Much of international relations theory assumes that they are. But many scholars believe that political leaders rarely act rationally. The issue is crucial for both the study and practice of international politics, for only if states are rational can scholars and policymakers understand and predict their behavior.
 
John J. Mearsheimer and Sebastian Rosato argue that rational decisions in international politics rest on credible theories about how the world works and emerge from deliberative decision‑making processes. Using these criteria, they conclude that most states are rational most of the time, even if they are not always successful. Mearsheimer and Rosato make the case for their position, examining whether past and present world leaders, including George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, have acted rationally in the context of momentous historical events, including both world wars, the Cold War, and the post–Cold War era.  
 
By examining this fundamental concept in a novel and comprehensive manner, Mearsheimer and Rosato show how leaders think, and how to make policy for dealing with other states.

About the Author

John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He is the author of The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities. He lives in Chicago, IL. Sebastian Rosato is professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Intentions in Great Power Politics: Uncertainty and the Roots of Conflict. He lives in South Bend, IN.