Taming the Sovereigns
Institutional Change in International Politics

In this book, Kalevi Holsti examines the nature of change in international politics.

K. J. Holsti (Author)

9780521541923, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 22 January 2004

372 pages, 3 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.59 kg

'… provides one of the most thorough accounts of institutional change in world politics…' Political Studies Review

Many analysts claim that international politics has recently entered a new era, following the end of the Cold War and then the events of September 11th. In this book, Kalevi Holsti asks what we mean by 'change' in international politics. How do we identify it? How do we distinguish between significant and unimportant changes? Do we really live in a new era or do we see more continuity than transformation in the texture of international politics? Combining theoretical and empirical argument, Holsti investigates eight major international institutions including the state, sovereignty, territoriality, international law, diplomacy, trade and war. Having identified the types of change these institutions have undergone during the last three centuries, Holsti analyses the sources of those changes and speculates on their consequences. This is a major book, likely to have lasting influence in the study of international politics.

1. The problem of change in international relations: rhetoric, markers, and metrics
2. The state as agent and institution
3. Territoriality
4. Sovereignty
5. International law
6. Diplomacy
7. Trade
8. Colonialism
9. War
10. International institutions: types, sources and consequences of change.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS], Political science & theory [JPA], General & world history [HBG]