Books by Jonathan Kirshner

An argument for the classical realist approach to world politics An Unwritten Future offers a fresh reassessment of classical realism, an enduring approach to understanding crucial events in the international political arena. Jonathan Kirshner identifies the fundamental flaws of classical realism's would-be successors and shows how this older, more nuanced and sophisticated method for studying world politics better explains the formative events of the past. Kirshner also reveals how this approach is ideally equipped to comprehend the vital questions of the present--such as the implications of China's rise, the ways that social and economic change alter the balance of power and the nature of international conflict, and the consequences of the end of the US-led postwar order for the future of world politics. Laying out realism's core principles, Kirshner discusses the contributions of the perspective's key thinkers, including Thucydides, Hans Morgenthau, and Raymond Aron, among others. He illustrates how a classical realist approach gives new insights into major upheavals of the twentieth century, such as Britain's appeasement of Nazi Germany and America's ruinous involvement in Vietnam. Kirshner also addresses realism's limits and explores contemporary issues, including the ascent of great power challengers, the political implications of globalization, and the diffusion of power in modern world politics. A reexamination of the realist tradition, with a renewed emphasis on the crucial roles played by uncertainty, contingency, and contestation, An Unwritten Future demonstrates how a once-popular school of thought provides invaluable insights into pressing real-world problems.

Examines how states can and have used international currency relationships and arrangements as instruments of coercive power for the advancement of state security. This work lays the groundwork for the study of monetary power by providing a taxonomy of the forms that such power can take and of the conditions under which it can have effect.

Jonathan Kirshner explains how the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 altered the international balance of power, affecting the patterns and pulse of world politics.

From Chinatown to Night Moves, how key "seventies" films important works of art in continuous dialogue with the political, social, personal, and philosophical issues of their times.

Shows that bankers dread war - an aversion rooted in pragmatism, not idealism. This book also shows that, when faced with the prospect of war or international political crisis, national financial communities favor caution and demonstrate a marked aversion to war.