Description:
Can moral behavior exist in a world of states? Under what conditions? Where if at all, do norms for moral behavior, considerations of right and wrong, fit in the relations between states?
Drawing upon many historical examples, Stanley Hoffmann examines the complex questions of whether or not ethical action is possible in international politics and, if it is, what are the obstacles and constraints? Duties Beyond Borders tries to answer these questions and to suggest a course of "ethical politics" based on a pragmatic, realistic approach to international politics.Review Quotes: Hoffmann addresses the age-old problem of the place of morality in relations among states. Being a liberal humanist and also a keen observer of the game of power politics and the pursuit of national advantage as it has been and still is played, he is constantly searching for the compromises and balances and practical forward steps that will maximize the possibilities for human rights and a more just and moderate world order--and one which will survive. He does so with his usual display of learning, rationality, and felicity of expression.-- "Foreign Affairs"