Revolution and World Order: The Revolutionary State in International Society

This book examines the concept of international society and advances the thesis that an international society exists based on certain norms that are accepted widely by states. One example was the Peace of Westphalia (1648), whereby the signatory states consented to common practices in the pursuit of their independence. This conception of a loose association of sovereign entities was the catalyst for the actual and symbolic recognition by states of certain obligations in their external affairs. One result was a collective affirmation of sovereignty as the central principle of a community of states. Another result was the acceptance of common institutions, such as the balance of power and diplomacy, as the main instruments by which to reaffirm the commitment to sovereign arrangements. Revolution and World Order then assesses the tensions which arise when revolutionary states emerge to challenge existing norms of international conduct. However, the book is less successful in advancing our understanding of the process by which new states are socialized into the larger society of states.