The Moral Purpose of the State: Culture, Social Identity, and Institutional Rationality in International Relations. By Christian Reus-Smit. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999. 199p. $35.00.

Abstract

The central puzzle motivating this book is why different systems of sovereign states develop different types of systemic institutions. Why did Greek city-states favor arbitration, whereas Italian city-states adopted what the author calls "oratorical diplomacy," the absolutist state preferred "old diplomacy" instead, and the modern nation-state relies on international law and multilateralism?