Reviews for Interactionism

The average rating for Interactionism based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-02-04 00:00:00 Leo Kazan The third edition was published in 1993, but most of the text in the first part is from the mid 1970s, which makes some (althought not the historical section) dated. Reagardless of that, the firts part still works as a decent intro to SI. The second part, with newer chapters (written by others) from the 90s is, however, repetitive and contradictory. Also, now that postmodernism in the social sciences has been more or less pronounced dead, the last chapter sounds anachronistic as well.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-05-23 00:00:00 Dena Ladner Short, insightful, and well written. You can't ask for much more from a book on international political theory. Published in 2004, Deterrence addresses the theory of deterrence as it was shortly the United States invaded Iraq, animated by the alternative idea of pre-emption. Freedman is not beholden to a single theory of international relations unlike many other scholars in his field. He has a more practical bent in his analysis of the ideas behind the theory. At one point he says that practitioners will find case studies more valuable than attempts to codify the concept. The first half of the book gives the history of deterrence, describes different types, and contrasts the concept with its competitors, including prevention, pre-emption, and compellence. He also draws on the literature from criminology, which is rarely considered in the international context. In the end, he sketches out an approach to deterrence based on norms and the idea that deterrence must be understood in the context of a wide set of relationships. That context is not only broader than the strategic relationship between two countries, it also encompasses relationships between other allies and enemies. It should even include domestic political relationships. As this summary must suggest, Freedman gives the interested reader much to think about, particularly in today's world, where the question whether the ability of the United States to deter countries like North Korea, Iran, and Russia is becoming increasingly important.