A Calculus of Power: Grand Strategy in the Twenty-First Century - Hardcover

Peter Gowan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 184467620X ISBN 13: 9781844676200

Publisher: Verso Books, 2010

Synopsis

In this wide-ranging and incisive collection, Peter Gowan traces the contours of the world order that emerged after the end of the Cold War and assesses its prospects in the light of the global economic downturn. Arguing that the present inter-state system was shaped from the outset by Washington's drive to maintain its status as global hegemon, Gowan dissects several cherished myths of the liberal mainstream, offering a radical counter-history of the UN and a sharp critique of the West's interventions in the Balkans. He provides a forceful response to advocates of a new cosmopolitanism, and engages with neo-realist theories of international relations-asking whether the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in a crisis for their visions of American power, and discussing what the lineaments of a future order might be.
Closing with an interview conducted just before his death which discusses his life's work, A Calculus of Power is a penetrating look at contemporary world politics by one of the most renowned thinkers of the New Left.

About this title

About the Authors

Peter Gowan (1946-2009) taught international relations for many years at London Metropolitan University. He was the author of The Global Gamble and A Calculus of Power, co-editor of The Question of Europe, cofounder of the journal Labour Focus on Eastern Europe, and a longstanding member of the editorial board of New Left Review-who published an interview with Peter Gowan along with an obituary in Sept-Oct 2009.

Tariq Ali has written more than two-dozen books on world history and politics-the most recent of which are The Extreme Centre, The Dilemmas of Lenin and The Forty-Year War in Afghanistan, Winston Churchill-as well as the novels of his Islam Quintet and scripts for the stage and screen. He is a long-standing member of the Editorial Committee of New Left Review and lives in London.

Edition details

• Publisher: Verso Books
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 184467620X
• ISBN 13: 9781844676200
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272