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Prof. R. Harrison Wagner Explores International Relations Theory

R. Harrison Wagner is the author of War and the State: The Theory of International Politics, published by the University of Michigan Press. “Possibly the most important book on international relations theory since Kenneth Waltz’s Theory of International Politics.,” writes James Fearon of Stanford University.

In a much anticipated volume, Harrison Wagner exposes the invalid arguments employed in the unproductive debate about Realism among international relations scholars, as well as the common fallacy of sharply distinguishing between conflict among states and conflict within them. Wagner demonstrates that any understanding of international politics must be part of a more general study of the relationship between political order and organized violence everywhere—as it was in the intellectual tradition from which modern-day Realism was derived.

R. Harrison Wagner

Wagner, who received his PhD from Harvard University, has been a member of the Government faculty for over thirty years. In his most recent research he has used the theory of games to investigate various problems in the theory of international politics, including international cooperation, the balance of power, deterrence, crisis bargaining, the causes of war, and the use of economic sanctions.

Prof. Wagner's Department Profile
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