Restraining Power

Bridging intellectual history and contemporary international relations, Restraining Power offers a trenchant critique of modern American statecraft. Hendrickson argues that the United States has repeatedly violated the ethic of self-restraint, pursuing self-aggrandizing projects with destabilizing and often catastrophic results.

In response Hendrickson offers a provocative and erudite reconstruction of the history of international political thought, examining how thinkers across the ages grappled with the ethical and strategic dilemmas of sovereign coexistence. The book excavates a largely forgotten tradition - rooted in the writings of Hobbes, Pufendorf, Vattel, and others - that articulates a "law of nature and nations" capable of restraining the violent impulses of great powers. This tradition emphasized reciprocity, moderation, and the normative foundations of peace in an anarchic world.

Combining political theory, legal and ethical analysis, and the history of ideas, Restraining Power challenges dominant paradigms in international relations theory and reclaims a vital tradition for contemporary reflection. At once rigorous and elegantly written, this book is essential reading for scholars of international relations, political philosophy, and diplomatic history seeking to rethink the moral and prudential boundaries of power in global affairs.