Restraining Power: The Law of Nature and the Theory of International Relations

A provocative and erudite history of international political thought—explaining why things have gone so dangerously wrong

Restraining Power examines the ethical and strategic dilemmas of sovereign coexistence. Excavating a forgotten tradition of the “law of nature and nations” intended to restrain the violent impulses of states, David C. Hendrickson shows how this perspective emphasizes respect for the rights of other nations. It provides an essential bulwark of peace in an anarchic world.

All states, Hendrickson argues, have an interest in observing the principles of reciprocity, justice, and good faith, but few have violated them more than the United States. In neglecting these principles, US foreign policy has entered a destabilizing shadow world in which force and fraud are normalized.

At once rigorous and elegantly written, Restraining Power is essential reading for students and scholars of international relations, political philosophy, and history who want to rethink the moral and prudential boundaries of power in global affairs.