Book cover of The Anarchical Society: A Study of Order in World Politics

Book description

In this fundamental text, Hedley Bull explores three key questions: What is the nature of order in world politics? How is it maintained within the contemporary states system? And do desirable and feasible alternatives to the states system exist? Contrary to common claims, Bull asserts that the sovereign states system…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Anarchical Society as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

A classic from Australia’s greatest contributor to the theory of international politics. One needs a coherent framework within which to place current events, and Bull’s perfectly titled book provides it.

Yes, world politics is anarchical because there is no ‘global cop.’ But anarchy does not mean chaos. There is enough order in the international realm to consider it a ‘society’ with its own store of conventions, rituals, and traditions—a humane but skeptical book that disdains simple solutions to world affairs. 

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