Why
Nations Cooperate? Circumstance and Choice in International
Relations. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press,
1990.
Nations choose
between cooperation and conflict, according to Arthur A.
Stein, and such decisions underlie the entire range of
international relations, from alliance to war. When, how,
and why they choose between them, and with what
consequences, constitute the primary foci of international
politics. In this lively and accessible book, Stein offers
a new explanation of international cooperation and conflict
as products of circumstance and choice. He argues that a
nation's choice of cooperation or conflict is constrained
not only by the nature of the international system but also
by specific circumstances and by the criteria for policy
choices. Different ways of formulating and assessing
national interest, he demonstrates, are especially
important factors in the choice for cooperation.
Stein illustrates his arguments about the bases of
international cooperation and conflict with examples drawn
from the study of diplomatic history, international
political economy, and national security policy. Why
Nations Cooperate takes a fresh approach to problems
that have long been central to theoretical discussions of
state behavior. The author's reassessment of such
fundamental dichotomies as realism/liberalism and
conflict/cooperation focuses on purposive calculation and
makes use of models of strategic interaction. Although
theories based on realism and liberalism come to
contradictory conclusions about the prospects for
international cooperation, their analyses are derived from
a set of shared assumptions about the nature of
international relations. Stein argues that these core
assumptions about the autonomous self-interested behavior
of states in an anarchic international system are
consistent not only with conflict but with cooperation. He
reassesses the implications of these assumptions and
concludes that stronger possibilities for bilateral
cooperation exist than would be expected by either liberals
or realists. Stein illuminates the ways in which strategic
interaction analysis may be used to integrate the
individual, the state, and the system in the study of
international relations. In the process he also refines our
notions of security, hegemony, competition, and
misperception and eventually our definition of choice.
Specialists in international relations, political economy,
and security affairs will want to read Why Nations
Cooperate.
REVIEWS:
Why Nations
Cooperate is a much "bigger" book than its relatively
short length would suggest. In its pages, Arthur Stein
addresses many of the important issues confronting students
of international relations. Among these are the
establishment and maintenance of regimes, the formation of
alliances, the efficacy of strategies of cooperation, the
causes of arms races, and the level of analysis problem.
Stein even attempts to resolve the dispute between realist
and liberal scholars regarding the true nature of
international politics. What makes this work impressive is
the extent to which he succeeds. . . .
Why Nations Cooperate is a major achievement.
Unlike many works on the subject, this is no exercise in
abstract theorizing or mathematical manipulation. Stein's
game-theoretic models (he prefers the term "models of
strategic interaction") are simple and serve only to
illuminate an already lucid exposition. Provided with
real-world examples to illustrate each of his theoretical
propositions, the reader can easily envision national
decision makers engaging in precisely the kinds of
calculations Stein describes. Wide ranging, beautifully
argued, and eminently accessible, Why Nations
Cooperate is a splendid contribution not only to the
literature on cooperation and conflict, but international
politics in general.
--Vincent R. Rock, Journal of Politics
Attest[s] to the vitality of current theorizing in
international relations.
--Andrew J. Pierre, Foreign Affairs
Stein's book is informative and rigorous yet sparing in
technical apparatus.
--Steven Luper-Foy, Ethics
Stein writes clearly. The book is a good example of the use
of [simple game-theory] models to clarify the arguments
which would be hard and convoluted without them. No one,
however innumerate, should feel themselves excluded from
Stein's work. Stein is well read not only in the literature
of international relations and related aspects of economics
but also in other applications of rational choice theory.
--Michael Nicholson, International Affairs
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
1 Realism, Liberalism,
and Dilemmas of Strategic Choice
2 Coordination and Collaboration: Dilemmas of Common
Interests and
Common Aversions
3 Misperception and Strategic Choice
4 Extinction and National Survival
Appendix 1 The
Shadow of the Future
Appendix 2
Iterated Prisoners' Dilemma with Bankruptcy
5 The Struggle for Advantage: Dilemmas of Hegemony
and Competition
Appendix 1
Relative Weighted Calculations in a Prisoners'
Dilemma
Appendix 2
Implications of a Different Dominant Strategy for
Different
Decision
Criteria
Appendix 3 Sen's
Paradox
6 Alliances and Dilemmas of Entanglement
Appendix 1
Implications of a Different Dominant Strategy for
Different
Decision
Criteria
Appendix 2
Altruism and Self-Interest
7 Conclusion: Structure, Circumstance, and Choice in
International Relations