The Ideological Origins of Great Power Politics, 1789–1989

Abstract

The Ideological Origins of Great Power Politics, 1789–1989. By Mark L. Haas. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2005. 250p. $39.95.Realists argue that state behavior is predicated on the distribution of power in the international system. Specifically, states attempt to acquire, maintain, exercise, and balance power in response to the same behavior expected of other states in the system. In this book, Mark L. Haas offers a compelling argument for thinking beyond power variables and considering the independent effects of ideology on leaders' foreign policy decisions. The main thrust of his thesis is that the greater the ideological distance between decision makers of different states, the greater the likelihood that they will view each other as threats to domestic power and international security. Conversely, the greater the ideological affinity between states' leaders, the greater the likelihood that they will see each other as mutually supportive of one another's interests and, therefore, as less threatening. Decision makers' conflictual or accommodative foreign policies, then, are a function of threat perception caused by ideological distance. The book begins with the explication of the theoretical argument and then applies the theory to five different historical case studies. Haas concludes with policy implications and prescriptions for current and future international politics generally, and U.S. foreign policy specifically.