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The Functional Theory of Politics
294 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
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June 24, 2025
The Functional Theory of Politics is a collection of papers by David Mitrany, an important figure in the field of international political organization. Among other things, he was a colleague of Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer at that famous institute shown in the recent movie. Although born in Romania, he is not well known here, and this translation is therefore a good idea. I recommend it to anyone interested in issues of war and peace.
Published in 1975, The Functional Theory of Politics is organized like a life's quest, and sometimes, it becomes very personal. Mitrany's writing style here is simple, accessible, and engaging. Many papers are short articles, introductions, excerpts, or opinion pieces. The book is part of a larger translation initiative, and it includes an introduction by a Romanian diplomat, Marius Lazurcă.
David Mitrany's approach was called functionalism. We can see its influence in the World Health Organization's actions during the pandemic or in the way the European Union evolved. The idea is to make war impractical by building transnational forms of cooperation, oriented according to specific issues (tasks, functions). The Functional Theory of Politics takes globalization for granted and tries to use it as an engine of ever-growing cooperation across borders.
There are some surprises in The Functional Theory of Politics. David Mitrany was more flexible and less elitist than is suggested by his association with the way international organizations are portrayed. He argued in favor of a diversity of forms in which transnational cooperation should take place. The author emphasized economic and social forces and was skeptical of regionalism.
The idea that peace is more than the absence of war is part of David Mitrany's reasoning. There are other interesting themes in The Functional Theory of Politics, like how to bypass territorial disputes and security. The main drawback is that the book is not about scientific arguments or data. The normative and engaged attitude of the author and his topics are interesting today, in a moment marked by wars and populism.
Published in 1975, The Functional Theory of Politics is organized like a life's quest, and sometimes, it becomes very personal. Mitrany's writing style here is simple, accessible, and engaging. Many papers are short articles, introductions, excerpts, or opinion pieces. The book is part of a larger translation initiative, and it includes an introduction by a Romanian diplomat, Marius Lazurcă.
David Mitrany's approach was called functionalism. We can see its influence in the World Health Organization's actions during the pandemic or in the way the European Union evolved. The idea is to make war impractical by building transnational forms of cooperation, oriented according to specific issues (tasks, functions). The Functional Theory of Politics takes globalization for granted and tries to use it as an engine of ever-growing cooperation across borders.
There are some surprises in The Functional Theory of Politics. David Mitrany was more flexible and less elitist than is suggested by his association with the way international organizations are portrayed. He argued in favor of a diversity of forms in which transnational cooperation should take place. The author emphasized economic and social forces and was skeptical of regionalism.
The idea that peace is more than the absence of war is part of David Mitrany's reasoning. There are other interesting themes in The Functional Theory of Politics, like how to bypass territorial disputes and security. The main drawback is that the book is not about scientific arguments or data. The normative and engaged attitude of the author and his topics are interesting today, in a moment marked by wars and populism.
Displaying 1 of 1 review