Power politics

Power politics

Power politics, or Machtpolitik (borrowed from German), is a state of international relations in which sovereigns protect their own interests by threatening one another with military, economic, or political aggression. The term was coined in Martin Wright's 1979 book of the same name, which the Times Literary Supplement dubbed the 21st most influential book since World War II. [http://www.listsofbests.com/list/28419]

Power politics is essentially a way of understanding the world of international relations: nations compete for the world's resources and it is to a nation's advantage to be manifestly able to harm others. It prioritizes national self-interest over the interest of other nations or the international community.

Techniques of power politics include, but are not limited to, conspicuous nuclear development, pre-emptive strike, blackmail, the massing of military units on a border, the imposition of tariffs or economic sanctions, bait and bleed and bloodletting, hard and soft balancing, buck passing, covert operations, and asymmetric warfare.

ee also

* Realism
* Realpolitik
* Hard power

Literature

* Hans J. Morgenthau, "Scientific Man vs. Power Politics". Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1946.
* Hans J. Morgenthau, "Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace". New York NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1948.
*Hans Köchler, "The United Nations Organization and Global Power POlitics: The Antagonism between Power and Law and the Future of World Order," in: "Chinese Journal of International Law", Vol. 5, No. 2 (2006), pp. 323-340. [http://chinesejil.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/5/2/323 ABSTRACT]

External links

* [http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/drg/ Global Power Barometer]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • power politics — n. 1. political activity, as by an officeholder, characterized by the use of power, influence, etc., usually in ways regarded as somewhat unethical, to effect a desired result 2. international political relations in which each nation attempts to… …   English World dictionary

  • power politics — power .politics n [U] when a country or person attempts to get power and influence by using or threatening to use force or other actions, especially against another country …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • power politics — power ,politics noun plural attempts by different groups, parties, or countries to control a political situation …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • power politics — noun diplomacy in which the nations threaten to use force in order to obtain their objectives • Syn: ↑gunboat diplomacy • Hypernyms: ↑diplomacy, ↑diplomatic negotiations * * * noun [noncount] : politics based on the use of military or economic… …   Useful english dictionary

  • power politics — noun (U) the use or threat of armed force in international politics: mere pawns in a game of international power politics …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • power politics — noun plural but singular or plural in construction Date: 1926 politics based primarily on the use of power (as military and economic strength) as a coercive force rather than on ethical precepts …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • power politics — noun Politics with power …   Wiktionary

  • power politics — pow′er pol′itics n. (used with a sing. or pl. v.) gov international politics characterized by the use or threatened use of military or economic power as a means of coercion • Etymology: 1935–40 …   From formal English to slang

  • power politics — 1. political action characterized by the exercise or pursuit of power as a means of coercion. 2. international diplomacy based on the use or threatened use of military or economic power. [1935 40] * * * …   Universalium

  • power politics — /paʊə ˈpɒlətɪks/ (say powuh poluhtiks) noun international diplomacy based on the use, or threatened use, of military power …  

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