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Ways of War and Peace: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism
In the wake of the Cold War, as the international community struggles to accommodate change, the author of this study directs our attention to the classic theorists, Thucydides, Rousseau, Locke and others. He explores their enduring theories, and recommends that they be applied to today's fundamental international dilemmas. Although no one school has all the answers, this analysis maintains that history has provided the theoretical tools to meet modern challenges, and that great political minds of the past can still guide modern politicians through the confusion of current events.
560 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 10, 2010
The very best overview of the most important perspectives in International Relations theory in the United States--realism, liberalism, and Marxism/neo-Marxism. If you want to know what these theories hold without actually reading about 50 books, this is the best place to start.
October 23, 2013
[Disclaimer: This is a snapshot of my thoughts on this book after just reading it. This is not meant to serve as a summary of main/supporting points or a critique – only as some words on how I engaged with this book for the purposes of building a theoretical framework on strategy.]
-- Assigned Part II and chapter 11 for School of Advanced Air & Space Studies curriculum --
In Doyle’s section on Liberalism, he presents the reader with a look at the major contributors to the field, and how they address each of Waltz’s three images. For the first image, Locke; Schumpeter for image two, and Kant for image three. He describes at sufficient depth for the IR student an explanation of each of the varieties of liberalism, and how they view the individual, the state, and the international system.
Doyle’s most compelling argument is for a Kantian republic, which is “a group of rational beings who demand general laws for their survival, but of whom each inclines toward exempting himself, and to establish their constitution in such a way that, in spite of the fact that their private attitudes are opposed, these private attitudes mutually impede each other in such a manner that their public behavior is the same as if they did not have such evil attitudes” (Kant, as quoted by Doyle, p. 309). I’m intentionally brushing past the valuable education that Doyle provides on each of these important theorists for the sake of brevity, but this is the book to read if you want a reasonable, (liberal) perspective on IR theory. The author is quite willing to acknowledge the weaknesses in his own bias while paying respect to each of the lenses.
The author recognizes that there is no perfect formula for world peace, that peace itself needs definition, and that the Kantian version of a republic may exist only in theory. Nevertheless, liberal democracies have tended not to go to war with one another. This should not imply causation, as there may be other factors as work. In addition, there is no reason to believe that if all states were to become Kantian versions of liberal democracies, that states would subsequently find distinctions to war over. Doyle effectively uses the U.S. invasion of Grenada as an example of how competing theories can have an impact on one another, how different theories can be used to justify (or refute) intervention, and how institutions can lose effectiveness in the course of international debate. If international acceptance is a justifying mechanism, then perhaps precedent and politics may have more value in intervention than morality.
-- Assigned Part II and chapter 11 for School of Advanced Air & Space Studies curriculum --
In Doyle’s section on Liberalism, he presents the reader with a look at the major contributors to the field, and how they address each of Waltz’s three images. For the first image, Locke; Schumpeter for image two, and Kant for image three. He describes at sufficient depth for the IR student an explanation of each of the varieties of liberalism, and how they view the individual, the state, and the international system.
Doyle’s most compelling argument is for a Kantian republic, which is “a group of rational beings who demand general laws for their survival, but of whom each inclines toward exempting himself, and to establish their constitution in such a way that, in spite of the fact that their private attitudes are opposed, these private attitudes mutually impede each other in such a manner that their public behavior is the same as if they did not have such evil attitudes” (Kant, as quoted by Doyle, p. 309). I’m intentionally brushing past the valuable education that Doyle provides on each of these important theorists for the sake of brevity, but this is the book to read if you want a reasonable, (liberal) perspective on IR theory. The author is quite willing to acknowledge the weaknesses in his own bias while paying respect to each of the lenses.
The author recognizes that there is no perfect formula for world peace, that peace itself needs definition, and that the Kantian version of a republic may exist only in theory. Nevertheless, liberal democracies have tended not to go to war with one another. This should not imply causation, as there may be other factors as work. In addition, there is no reason to believe that if all states were to become Kantian versions of liberal democracies, that states would subsequently find distinctions to war over. Doyle effectively uses the U.S. invasion of Grenada as an example of how competing theories can have an impact on one another, how different theories can be used to justify (or refute) intervention, and how institutions can lose effectiveness in the course of international debate. If international acceptance is a justifying mechanism, then perhaps precedent and politics may have more value in intervention than morality.
July 30, 2025
I picked up Ways of War and Peace by Michael W. Doyle during a phase when the world felt like it was lurching from one geopolitical crisis to the next—so basically, any recent Tuesday.
It’s a dense, over-500-page intellectual marathon through the three major schools of thought in international relations: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism. And yes, by the end, I was convinced—once again—that while Socialism might have an excellent critique of capitalism, it still sucks at delivering functional governance. But more on that in a bit.
Doyle’s approach is exhaustive, but never exhausting. He starts with the classical roots: Realism, the OG framework of "trust no one and keep your sword sharp," emerges through Thucydides, Hobbes, and Machiavelli. Realists see the world as an anarchic jungle where power talks and everyone else walks. Liberalism, on the other hand, brings in Locke, Adam Smith, and Kant—the hopeful nerds of IR theory—arguing that law, trade, and democracy can actually tame this chaos. Then comes Socialism, led by Marx, Engels, and Lenin, who believe the real fight isn't between nations but between classes. Capitalism causes war, inequality causes instability, and revolution is not just inevitable—it’s overdue.
What sets Doyle apart is that he doesn’t play favourites. He’s not trying to sell you one grand theory to rule them all. Instead, he critiques each school with surgical precision, showing their strengths in some scenarios and glaring blind spots in others. He dives deep into case studies: humanitarian interventions, the politics of foreign aid, trade policies, and the seductive—but possibly illusory—promise of democratic peace.
To his credit, Doyle doesn’t get lost in abstraction. He connects ideas to real-world dilemmas and emerging global trends. His final chapters are particularly striking, suggesting that the post–Cold War world isn’t dominated by any one worldview but rather shaped by their messy interplay. Realism’s raw focus on power, Liberalism’s faith in institutions, and Socialism’s call to address systemic inequality—they’re all still in the mix, jostling for dominance.
But here’s the kicker: socialism's critique of inequality is sharp, relevant, and deeply necessary—but its actual solutions? Often impractical, historically catastrophic, or just plain naive. Reading this book only reminded me how consistently socialism overpromises and underdelivers. Idealism with a broken GPS.
Still, Ways of War and Peace is more than a textbook. It’s an intellectual x-ray of how we think about global conflict and how those frameworks shape policy, morality, and statecraft.
For students, scholars, and anyone who wonders why global politics is such a circus (with nukes), Doyle’s book is a necessary map through the madness.
So no, it won’t solve world peace. But it’ll definitely make you think twice the next time someone tells you that "capitalism is the root of all evil" or that "realists have no heart." Doyle proves that in global politics, everyone has a point—and everyone’s got blind spots.
It’s a dense, over-500-page intellectual marathon through the three major schools of thought in international relations: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism. And yes, by the end, I was convinced—once again—that while Socialism might have an excellent critique of capitalism, it still sucks at delivering functional governance. But more on that in a bit.
Doyle’s approach is exhaustive, but never exhausting. He starts with the classical roots: Realism, the OG framework of "trust no one and keep your sword sharp," emerges through Thucydides, Hobbes, and Machiavelli. Realists see the world as an anarchic jungle where power talks and everyone else walks. Liberalism, on the other hand, brings in Locke, Adam Smith, and Kant—the hopeful nerds of IR theory—arguing that law, trade, and democracy can actually tame this chaos. Then comes Socialism, led by Marx, Engels, and Lenin, who believe the real fight isn't between nations but between classes. Capitalism causes war, inequality causes instability, and revolution is not just inevitable—it’s overdue.
What sets Doyle apart is that he doesn’t play favourites. He’s not trying to sell you one grand theory to rule them all. Instead, he critiques each school with surgical precision, showing their strengths in some scenarios and glaring blind spots in others. He dives deep into case studies: humanitarian interventions, the politics of foreign aid, trade policies, and the seductive—but possibly illusory—promise of democratic peace.
To his credit, Doyle doesn’t get lost in abstraction. He connects ideas to real-world dilemmas and emerging global trends. His final chapters are particularly striking, suggesting that the post–Cold War world isn’t dominated by any one worldview but rather shaped by their messy interplay. Realism’s raw focus on power, Liberalism’s faith in institutions, and Socialism’s call to address systemic inequality—they’re all still in the mix, jostling for dominance.
But here’s the kicker: socialism's critique of inequality is sharp, relevant, and deeply necessary—but its actual solutions? Often impractical, historically catastrophic, or just plain naive. Reading this book only reminded me how consistently socialism overpromises and underdelivers. Idealism with a broken GPS.
Still, Ways of War and Peace is more than a textbook. It’s an intellectual x-ray of how we think about global conflict and how those frameworks shape policy, morality, and statecraft.
For students, scholars, and anyone who wonders why global politics is such a circus (with nukes), Doyle’s book is a necessary map through the madness.
So no, it won’t solve world peace. But it’ll definitely make you think twice the next time someone tells you that "capitalism is the root of all evil" or that "realists have no heart." Doyle proves that in global politics, everyone has a point—and everyone’s got blind spots.
January 27, 2024
Kirkus
A majestic survey of the West's principal schools of sociopolitical thought. In making an (at least tacit) appeal for theoretic pluralism, Princeton political scientist Doyle focuses on three intellectual traditions: realism, liberalism, and socialism. While doing so, he provides perceptive perspectives on the worldviews of important thinkers down through the ages. To probe the canons of realism, for example, the author assesses Thucydides and a trio of latter-day counterparts (Hobbes, Machiavelli, Rousseau). Likewise, he draws on Bentham, Kant, Locke, Schumpeter, and Smith (as in Adam) to illustrate the breadth and depth of international liberalism. Last but not least, Doyle examines socialism through the minds of Lenin and Marx.
He reviews the way in which each theory enjoys a comparative advantage in explaining historic events and foreign policies, e.g., the tendency of liberal states to engage in aggression against less enlightened or more authoritarian regimes.
The author goes on to appraise what direction the three constructs might offer on some of the world's knottier problems, inter alia, the issue of interventions in the name of human rights as well as other putatively just causes, and whether economic aid to less developed countries is an investment in security for industrial powers or an effort to promote democratic institutions while alleviating poverty.
Doyle also considers the future of geopolitics, concluding that even post-millennial humanity will have a divided soul that owes allegiance to the competing claims of many constituencies, of which government is but one. Even so, he argues, the past teaches that enemies can be contained, peace extended, and (if need be) revolutions launched. A world-class yet accessible discourse on the abiding power of political ideas that could furnish reliable guidance to the electorates and leaders of almost any nation on earth.
A majestic survey of the West's principal schools of sociopolitical thought. In making an (at least tacit) appeal for theoretic pluralism, Princeton political scientist Doyle focuses on three intellectual traditions: realism, liberalism, and socialism. While doing so, he provides perceptive perspectives on the worldviews of important thinkers down through the ages. To probe the canons of realism, for example, the author assesses Thucydides and a trio of latter-day counterparts (Hobbes, Machiavelli, Rousseau). Likewise, he draws on Bentham, Kant, Locke, Schumpeter, and Smith (as in Adam) to illustrate the breadth and depth of international liberalism. Last but not least, Doyle examines socialism through the minds of Lenin and Marx.
He reviews the way in which each theory enjoys a comparative advantage in explaining historic events and foreign policies, e.g., the tendency of liberal states to engage in aggression against less enlightened or more authoritarian regimes.
The author goes on to appraise what direction the three constructs might offer on some of the world's knottier problems, inter alia, the issue of interventions in the name of human rights as well as other putatively just causes, and whether economic aid to less developed countries is an investment in security for industrial powers or an effort to promote democratic institutions while alleviating poverty.
Doyle also considers the future of geopolitics, concluding that even post-millennial humanity will have a divided soul that owes allegiance to the competing claims of many constituencies, of which government is but one. Even so, he argues, the past teaches that enemies can be contained, peace extended, and (if need be) revolutions launched. A world-class yet accessible discourse on the abiding power of political ideas that could furnish reliable guidance to the electorates and leaders of almost any nation on earth.
May 6, 2015
This is a core text for students of international relations. It presents a very clear taxonomy of theories of international relations. Unlike some other texts (like Waltz and Carr) he separates Socialism from the rest of the Liberal tradition in international relations. The three divisions he uses of the Liberal tradition are now standard.
March 27, 2009
This was the book I wanted to write when I came to graduate school. When I realized that I had been beaten to it (and had seen my vision carried out in much more capable hands), I realized political science was not for me.
December 24, 2012
It was a very contemplative and interesting analysis of the basic schools of thought in international relations and the interstate system in general.
May 12, 2018
A good overview of three dominant tendencies within the study of international relations. The coverage of socialism often seemed tacked-on, but the observations regarding Marx and Lenin's views on international relations were very original and should be read by any socialist in the modern day.
The biggest problem with the book was not the fault of the author- timing. The latter part of the book suffers immensely from being written at a particularly uncertain time in world history, leading to far too many "only time will tell..." passages relating to the possibility of a hostile Japan, a decline in democratic crusading by the US, and the prospects of democracy in Russia.
The first three sections on Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism are still highly recommended.
The biggest problem with the book was not the fault of the author- timing. The latter part of the book suffers immensely from being written at a particularly uncertain time in world history, leading to far too many "only time will tell..." passages relating to the possibility of a hostile Japan, a decline in democratic crusading by the US, and the prospects of democracy in Russia.
The first three sections on Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism are still highly recommended.
June 4, 2019
This is now my favorite IR book of all time. So good.
Read
October 27, 2019Excellent overview of the three traditional schools of thought in IR. There is no better book than this atm.
Want to read
February 4, 2017"the best undergraduate textbook in contemporary international relations theory"
November 1, 2012
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It does provide an outstanding foundational description and history of Realism, Liberalism and Marxism. However, I found the opening of the Liberal section to be slow-going. Most likely due to my significantly more remedial vocabulary and general lack of understanding of big words.
read-partially
December 17, 2020I mean, who WOULDN'T be fascinated.
Want to read
November 27, 2014want to study of international relation
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews