ABSTRACT
In the climate of uncertainty and confusion that characterizes the contemporary world in general and advanced societies in particular, in the midst of this generalized crisis punctuated by a multiplicity of explosions whose detonator nobody can identify in advance, prediction is difficult, almost impossible. The obvious contradiction between the intellectual quality of at least some of the works and their minimal influence on society should lead us to a certain modesty. The political scientist, by placing himself outside the phenomenon that he coldly studies, works on a relatively deformed model. The work of Hans Morgenthau is exemplary in this respect, by the breadth of its scope and the importance of its contribution to international politics viewed as a science. Western societies have usually attempted to grasp the nature of crises by defining a threat. The main protagonists in that confrontation are not in control of events, even though the void created by Europe’s dramatic collapse gave them a central role.
