HANS MORGENTHAU: The Balance of Power (P Publishing International Relations Series Book 2)

In order to appreciate the impact of Morgenthau’s theories of International Relations on the development of the discipline it will be necessary to initially consider the specific concepts of the ‘balance of power’ in the context of his notions of ‘national interest’ and ‘power politics’ in order to create a frame of reference for his broader ideas elucidated in Politics among Nations (1948) and later writings, especially on the Cold War. This wider view of his interpretation of International Relations also requires analysis, especially in the light of his strongly held notion of ‘moral restraint’ in diplomacy and national actions. In order to evaluate the question fully, it will be necessary to consider Morgenthau’s theories in the controversial area of the ‘Realist philosophy’ debate within the subtext of the book. The contradictions as well as the consistencies within the Morgenthau framework can then be ascertained.