Kenneth Waltz Quotes

• Each state pursues its own interest's, however defined, in ways it judges best. Force is a means of achieving the external ends of states because there exists no consistent, reliable process of reconciling the conflicts of interest that inevitably arise among similar units in a condition of anarchy.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Mean, Judging, Way

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2010). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.238, Columbia University Press

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• With many sovereign states, with no system of law enforceable among them, with each state judging its grievances and ambitions according to the dictates of its own reason or desire - conflict, sometimes leading to war, is bound to occur.

  Kenneth Waltz

  War, Ambition, Law

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2010). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.159, Columbia University Press

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• States in the world are like individuals in the state of nature. They are neither perfectly good nor are they controlled by law.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Perfectly Good, Law, World

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.163, Columbia University Press

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• In anarchy there is no automatic harmony .

  Kenneth Waltz

  Anarchy, Harmony, Anarchism

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.186, Columbia University Press

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• According to the first image of international relations, the locus of the important causes of war is found in the nature and behavior of man. Wars result from selfishness, from misdirected aggressive impulses, from stupidity.

  Kenneth Waltz

  War, Men, Stupidity

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2010). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.16, Columbia University Press

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• If we are to have peace, we must learn loyalty to a larger group. And before we can learn loyalty, the thing to which we are to be loyal must be created.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Loyalty, Groups, Loyal

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.69, Columbia University Press

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• The most important causes of political arrangements and acts are found in the nature and behavior of man.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Men, Political, Important

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.42, Columbia University Press

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• Then what explains war among states? Rousseau's answer is really that war occurs because there is nothing to prevent it.

  Kenneth Waltz

  War, Answers, States

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.188, Columbia University Press

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• External pressure seems to produce internal unity.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Unity, Pressure, Produce

  "Man, the State, and War" by Kenneth Waltz, (p. 149), 1959.

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• Each man does seek his own interest, but, unfortunately, not according to the dictates of reason.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Men, Doe, Reason

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.23, Columbia University Press

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• The implication of game theory, which is also the implication of the third image, is, however, that the freedom of choice of any one state is limited by the actions of the others.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Games, Choices, Action

  Kenneth Neal Waltz (2001). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.204, Columbia University Press

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• Asking who won a given war, someone has said, is like asking who won the San Francisco earthquake. That in war there is no victory but only varying degrees of defeat is a proposition that has gained increasing acceptance in the twentieth century.

  Kenneth Waltz

  War, Acceptance, Earthquakes

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2010). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.1, Columbia University Press

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• It is not true that were the Soviet Union to disappear the remaining states could easily live in peace.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Unions, Disappear, States

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.230, Columbia University Press

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• To build a theory of international relations on accidents of geography and history is dangerous.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Geography And History, Theory, Relation

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.107, Columbia University Press

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• Once socialism replaces capitalism, reason will determine the policies of states.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Socialism, Reason, States

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.150, Columbia University Press

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• War most often promotes the internal unity of each state involved. The state plagued by internal strife may then, instead of waiting for the accidental attack, seek the war that will bring internal peace.

  Kenneth Waltz

  War, Waiting, Unity

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.81, Columbia University Press

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• No system of balance functions automatically.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Balance, Function

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.210, Columbia University Press

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• War may achieve a redistribution of resources, but labor, not war, creates wealth.

  Kenneth Waltz

  War, May, Wealth

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.224, Columbia University Press

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• To solve these problems one needs as much an understanding of politics as an understanding of man - and the one cannot be derived from the other.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Men, Understanding, Needs

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2010). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.38, Columbia University Press

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• In a zero-sum game, the problem is entirely one of distribution, not at all one of production.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Zero, Games, Problem

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.202, Columbia University Press

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• Is it capitalism or states that must be destroyed in order to get peace, or must both be abolished?

  Kenneth Waltz

  Order, States, Capitalism

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.127, Columbia University Press

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• If we gather more and more data and establish more and more associations, however, we will not finally find that we know something. We will simply end up having more and more data and larger sets of correlations.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Data, Association, Ends

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2010). “Theory of International Politics”, p.4, Waveland Press

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• The transitory interests of royal houses may be advanced in war; the real interests of all people are furthered by the peace.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Real, War, People

  "Man, the State, and War". Book by Kenneth Waltz (Chapter IV "The Second Image", p. 98), 1959.

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• The best critical consideration of the inherent weakness of a federation of states in which the law of the federation has to be enforced on the states who are its members is contained in the Federalist Papers.

  Kenneth Waltz

  Law, Weakness, Paper

  Kenneth N. Waltz (2013). “Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis”, p.186, Columbia University Press

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