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'One of those rare books that will change the way
thoughtful people think. Global Rivalries is rich in
insight, bringing coherence to disparate events.
Extremely well documented, [it] will force people to
think critically about history and the world we now live
in.' Joyce and Gabriel Kolko
'Just when you
thought International Relations as a field was dead,
along comes Kees van der Pijl's new book. His inspired
account brings together history, economics and politics
to create a far more nuanced view of rivalry and
cooperation among the great powers.' Thomas Ferguson,
University of Massachusetts, Boston
'This book
should be required reading for all students of
international relations and global political economy. It
is a magisterial work that explains and demystifies the
rivalries and conflicts which have characterised the
foreign relations of the "great powers" in the modern
era. His thesis is consistent, provocative, and
compelling.' Stephen Gill, York University,
Toronto
This is a groundbreaking new work from a
leading scholar in the field of international relations.
Offering a highly original analysis of world events,
especially in the light of the Iraq War, Kees van der
Pijl explores the history and development of relations
between major countries in the international community,
and the impact that successive wars and changes in the
global political economy have had on the way states
relate to each other today.
Tracing the liberal
state structure back to the closing stages of the
English Civil War and settlement in North America, he
argues that the rise of the English-speaking West has
created rivalries between contender states that are
never entirely put to rest. With each round of Western
expansion, new rivalries are created. Offering a truly
global analysis that covers every area of the world --
from Europe and America to China, the Middle East, Latin
America and Russia -- he analyses the development of
international relations post WWII, and questions whether
the neoliberal project and its human rights ideology
have collapsed back into authoritarianism under the
guise of the 'war on terror'.
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