Towards a liberal realism: Inis L. Claude’s Power and International Relations

Abstract

Inis L. Claude’s Power and International Relations1 is an analysis of the role of international organization in securing peace among the great powers, particularly in a world of bipolar confrontation and nuclear weapons. He compares three international systems for maintaining the peace: the balance of power; collective security; and world government. He concludes that the balance of power is the most realistic, but that its reliability as a mechanism for maintaining the peace is enhanced by being embedded in the United Nations (UN), which provides both an institutional structure for and a symbolism of pacific dispute resolution. As such, the argument is clearly realist in its focus and assumptions, but more sympathetic to international institutions and international cooperation than are most realist arguments. A classical realist orientation with a focus on, and sympathy for, international organiza-tions and the symbolism of cooperation is a hallmark of Claude’s work. His career spanned the Cold War, with most of his major works published in the 1960s, and with a core focus on the relationship among international organizations, the structure of the international system, and the maintenance of international peace and security. Power and International Relations fits neatly within this focus, although with a greater stress on the international system, and less on international institutions as organizations, than some of his other work. It was recognized at the time, and continues to be recognized, as a classic conceptual analysis of the balance of power. Power and International Relations is a fascinating book, and was well received at thetime of publication. Among other indicators, it won the American Political Science Association’s Woodrow Wilson Award for best book on government, politics, or international affairs in 1963. However, in some respects it has not aged well in the halfcentury since it was first published. While the title suggests a general treatment of power in international relations, the book itself focuses on military power, and in particular on the prevention of great power, and nuclear, war. As such, much of the discussion is dated, since the security concerns at the height of the Cold War, with its bipolar system and its persistent threat of nuclear war, are very different from those of today. In addition, the project preceded what has been called the second great debate in International Relations (IR), and the development of positivist methodologies.2 It is an exercise in big thinking of the old school, focusing more on thoughtful and reasoned argument than on methodological precision. At the same time, many of the details of the argument remain relevant for the contemporary analysis of international security structures, and the conclusions are prescient, foreshadowing some more recent developments both in international relations theory and in the practice of contemporary international politics.