Contexts of International Politics

This book examines the ways and means by which nation-states interact with their environment. The author proposes a theory of context that examines the way in which system structure, normative environment, and history can act as contexts for decision makers, either as causes, barriers, or by changing meanings. The theoretical and methodological material is illustrated by a number of case studies that apply context theory to specific problems, such as decolonization, USSR-East European relations, and enduring military rivalries.

In this book Gary Goertz examines how states interact with their environment and contexts, which are important in understanding international politics. He presents a philosophical, methodological and empirical discussion of three important contexts which affect decision makers: history, system structure, and international norms. The effects of these contexts are explored by viewing context in turn as cause, as changing meaning, and as a barrier. The book engages with the literature on structural realism and international regimes, and uses rational actor and diffusion models as theoretical references. A number of concrete studies are provided using these contextual tools, including oil nationalisation, USSR-East European relations, enduring rivalries, and decolonisation. These empirical examples illustrate the fruitfulness of the contextual approach to international politics.

1. Introduction; 2. Modes of context; 3. Context as changing meaning; 4. Contextual indicators; 5. Rational actor and diffusion models; 6. Barrier models of context; 7. Oil nationalization, 1918–80; 8. Eastern Europe, 1945–89; 9. Historical contexts; 10. Enduring rivalries; 11. The context of international norms; 12. The norm of decolonization; 13. Postface: interacting contexts and explaining contexts.

Gary Goertz examines international politics in terms of context as cause, changing meaning and as a barrier. He presents a philosophical, methodological and empirical discussion of three important contexts which affect decision makers: history, system structure, and international norms. Through different theoretical references and concrete studies, he illustrates the fruitfulness of the contextual approach to international politics.