Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an approach to the problem of international order and demonstrates the heuristic fruitfulness of the approach when it is applied to the analysis of concrete international interactions. It explores the implications of the approach by criticizing some of the conventional world order literature. The book deals more explicitly with international conflict and the role that conventions or rules play in conflict resolution. It explains the role historical analogies played in creating a set of conventions that served as “background knowledge” for each side’s interpretation of the opponent’s moves. The book discusses Soviet-American interaction in the sixties and early seventies in terms of the strategic debate in both countries about the importance of nuclear weapons and the role of the developing countries.