Stability without statehood
Subtitle: lessons from Europe's history before the sovereign state
By: Peter Haldén
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Houndmills, Basingstoke Hampshire; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 223
ISBN-13: 9780230273559
Subjects: Politics and government; Political stability; Case studies; Republicanism; History; The State
Description: The way the sovereign state is taken for granted in political theory prevents an explanation of historical and contemporary organizations and phenomena different from this ideal type. Peter Halden bypasses the state and the problems it causes by constructing an understanding of politics and a research model based on classical and early modern republican political theory. This enables historical analysis without anachronism and a new interpretation of the European Union. By comparing the EU with the Holy Roman Empire (1648-1763) and the antebellum United States (1776-1865), he explains that the EU's international weakness is a result of its strength as a security system that stabilizes Europe. The author argues that continued American support and embedding in NATO is necessary in order for the EU to act on the world stage and to stabilize Europe in the long run. Through these theoretical innovations, he explores alternatives to state-building in the Third World. -- Publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.