Walter C. Clemens Jr.'s Books

Complexity Science and World Affairs

By: Walter C. Clemens Jr.

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Complexity Science and World Affairs

By: Walter C. Clemens Jr.

Applies complexity science to the study of international politics. Why did some countries transition peacefully from communist rule to political freedom and market economies, while others did not? Why did the United States enjoy a brief moment as the sole remaining superpower, and then lose power and influence across the board? What are the prospects for China, the main challenger to American hegemony? In Complexity Science and World Affairs, Walter C. Clemens Jr. demonstrates how the basic concepts of complexity science can broaden and deepen the insights gained by other approaches to the study of world affairs. He argues that societal fitnessthe ability of a social system to cope with complex challenges and opportunitieshinges heavily on the values and way of life of each society, and serves to explain why some societies gain and others lose. Applying theory to several rich case studies, including political developments across postSoviet Eurasia and the United States, Clemens shows that complexity science offers a powerful set of tools for advancing the study of international relations, comparative government, and, more broadly, the social sciences. Clemens has written an outstanding bookthe culmination of a half?centurys experience in and analysis of world affairs [It is] bound to interest not only political and other social scientists but all thoughtful persons concerned with understanding and perhaps improving the human condition. from the Foreword by Stuart A. Kauffman This breakthrough book provides a new, promising general paradigm exploring and explaining the complexity of world politics. For scholars and analysts pushing the boundaries of our field, this is a must-read volume. Jacek Kugler, Claremont Graduate University Complexity can be overwhelming and complexity science can be daunting, and, yet, in Walter Clemenss skilled hands both become accessible, understandable, and useful tools for both scholars and practitioners. Once again, Clemens has shown that sophisticated academic theorizing only benefits from clarity, elegance, and wit. The book is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students as a supplementary text in international relations or comparative politics. Alexander Motyl, Rutgers UniversityNewark Clemens offers a fresh, even startling, paradigm and process for analyzing the seemingly unpredictable relations within and among human societies. With impressive clarity he proposes that the capacity to cope with complexity has become a key determinant of success in our intricately interrelated world. Careful study of this capacity in specific contexts can lead to revealing analyses in comparative politics and international relations. A provocative and stimulating treatise! S. Frederick Starr, Johns Hopkins University Walt Clemenss provocative new book can be appreciated at several levels: as an analytical framework in international relationscomplexity sciencethat offers a compelling alternative to realism and neoliberalism; as an incisive critique of the fitness of the supposedly most developed societies to deal with our complex world; and as a humanistic value-set that provides better standards for assessing governments than do GDP, trade levels, or military spending. Clemens skillfully integrates theory and practice to explore US hyperpower, the two Koreas, China, and other states from new angles, and with consistent objectivity. IR specialists should find this book exciting, while IR and international studies students will be challenged by the new paradigm it presents. Mel Gurtov, Portland State University Clemens proposes a powerful new way of looking at international relations and politics, and offers a productive method for assessing the fitness of societies in the early twenty-first century. Guntis midchens, University of Washington, Seattle You dont have to be a political scientist to wonder why some states succeed and others do not, why some societies flourish while others suffer stagnation and conflict. Employing the relatively new tool of complexity science, Walter Clemens evaluates the fitness of states and societies, i.e. their ability to cope with complex challenges and opportunities. He does so in a way that is eruditehow many studies quote Walt Whitman and Karl Marx in the same chapter?yet clear and accessible. Clemens challenges both existing political science paradigms and policy perspectives. This is a stimulating, rich volume that can be read and re-read with profit and appreciation for its breadth and depth and most of all for its insistence that we see the world, and the states in it, in all their complexity. Ronald H. Linden, University of Pittsburgh

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292

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SUNY Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1438449011

ISBN 13

9781438449012

Ambushed!

A Cartoon History of the George W. Bush Administration

By: Jim Morin,Walter C. Clemens Jr

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Ambushed!

A Cartoon History of the George W. Bush Administration

By: Jim Morin,Walter C. Clemens Jr

A Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist teams up with a noted political commentator. For everyone who loves to hate the Bush administration and is ready to laugh about it! Ambushed! recounts the exploits of the Bush administration, at home and abroad, 2001 to 2008, through the lens of a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for the Miami Herald and the analysis of a leading political scientist at Boston University and Harvard University. The book begins with the ways in which American voters were ambushed in two presidential elections and ranges widely among the ensuing disasters from Enron to Katrina to the budget deficit to the economy and finally to the "global war on terror" that lost America many friends and inspired enemies worldwide. Contrasting the Bush administration's lofty promises with its policy failures-from Baghdad to New Orleans-the book suggests that this has been not only the least effective but the most destructive presidency of the past century.

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505

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1317263901

ISBN 13

9781317263906

Getting to Yes in Korea

By: Walter C. Clemens Jr

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Getting to Yes in Korea

By: Walter C. Clemens Jr

President George W. Bush had pinned North Korea to an "axis of evil" but then neglected Pyongyang until it tested a nuclear device. Would the new administration make similar mistakes? When the Clinton White House prepared to bomb North Korea's nuclear facilities, private citizen Jimmy Carter mediated to avert war and set the stage for a deal freezing North Korea's plutonium production. The 1994 Agreed Framework collapsed after eight years, but when Pyongyang went critical, the negotiations got serious. Each time the parties advanced one or two steps, however, their advance seemed to spawn one or two steps backward. Clemens distils lessons from U.S. negotiations with North Korea, Russia, China, and Libya and analyses how they do-and do not-apply to six-party and bilateral talks with North Korea in a new political era.

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281

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

131725919X

ISBN 13

9781317259190

Dynamics of International Relations

Conflict and Mutual Gain in an Era of Global Interdependence

By: Walter C. Clemens

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Dynamics of International Relations

Conflict and Mutual Gain in an Era of Global Interdependence

By: Walter C. Clemens

Student-friendly and professor-endorsed, Dynamics of International Relations is an innovative, introductory level core text. It compares realist and idealist theories and the paradigm of interdependence against case studies of recurrent problems--why wage war, how to make peace, how to transcend conflict, when and where to mediate, how to increase GDP but also quality of life, and how to organize for peace and promote human rights. Against a backdrop of the threat of terrorism, Clemens clearly demonstrates both the danger and opportunities inherent in a growing global interdependence.

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772

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

0742528219

ISBN 13

9780742528215

The Baltic Transformed

Complexity Theory and European Security

By: Walter C. Clemens

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The Baltic Transformed

Complexity Theory and European Security

By: Walter C. Clemens

Why isn't the Baltic region like the Balkans? Why have the Baltic republics not experienced ethnic cleansing, border wars, authoritarian rule, and social chaos? Instead, peace, democracy, and market economies have taken root since the fall of communism. Walter C. Clemens, Jr. here uses complexity theory, which analyzes the role of self-organization in complex adaptive systems, to explain the 'Baltic miracle.' He argues that the theory is a vital tool for understanding the remarkable strides made by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since 1991 in coping with the transition to partnership with the new Europe. The Baltic peoples have adapted well to the demands of democracy, a market economy, and a constructive role in world affairs. The achievements of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the past decade are the more amazing when considered against the hundreds of years they were dominated by Teutonic knights, Hanseatic merchants, Sweden, Russia, and the USSR. Clemens uses this history as a springboard to analyze how Balts self-organize today to meet the challenges of transition. One of the first books to apply complexity theory to a major sphere of world politics, The Baltic Transformed will provoke constructive debate with its ambitious and well-grounded analysis of not only Baltic developments but European security more generally. Despite its theoretical foundation, the book is written in a clear and accessible style that will make it invaluable for courses on comparative politics, political development, international relations, security, or transition studies.

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312

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Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

0742571149

ISBN 13

9780742571143

Can Russia Change? (Routledge Revivals)

The USSR confronts Global Interdependence

By: Walter Clemens

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Can Russia Change? (Routledge Revivals)

The USSR confronts Global Interdependence

By: Walter Clemens

First published in 1990, this ground-breaking book sought to determine whether contemporary Russia had the capacity to change and if, in so doing, it could alter the complex web of East-West relations from a zero-sum struggle to a state of peaceful competition and mutual security. In order to answer this question, the author compares advances and setbacks in arms control and security affairs with co-operation on less politically salient issues such as environmental degradation. He finds that in the nearly seventy years preceding Mikhail Gorbachev’s rise to power, the Kremlin relied on several basic approaches to foreign relations. These policies isolated the Soviet Union from those nations whose co-operation it needed to cope with the escalating interdependencies of the time. Gorbachev, Clemens argues, was the first Soviet leader to recognise both the problems and potential benefits of global interdependence and to explore the possibilities for co-operation between East and West to advance mutual security. Can Russia Change? is unique in its comparative approach and historical perspective, and this reissue will prove invaluable to all those interested in the history of Soviet security and foreign policy, as well as US-Soviet relations.

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Page Count

404

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1136451587

ISBN 13

9781136451584

Can Russia Change?

The USSR Confronts Global Interdependence

By: Walter Clemens

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Can Russia Change?

The USSR Confronts Global Interdependence

By: Walter Clemens

First published in 1990, this ground-breaking book sought to determine whether contemporary Russia had the capacity to change and if, in so doing, it could alter the complex web of East-West relations from a zero-sum struggle to a state of peaceful competition and mutual security. In order to answer this question, the author compares advances and setbacks in arms control and security affairs with co-operation on less politically salient issues such as environmental degradation. He finds that in the nearly seventy years preceding Mikhail Gorbachev's rise to power, the Kremlin relied on several basic approaches to foreign relations. These policies isolated the Soviet Union from those nations whose co-operation it needed to cope with the escalating interdependencies of the time. Gorbachev, Clemens argues, was the first Soviet leader to recognise both the problems and potential benefits of global interdependence and to explore the possibilities for co-operation between East and West to advance mutual security. Can Russia Change? is unique in its comparative approach and historical perspective, and this reissue will prove invaluable to all those interested in the history of Soviet security and foreign policy, as well as US-Soviet relations.

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404

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Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

0415500613

ISBN 13

9780415500616

North Korea and the World

Human Rights, Arms Control, and Strategies for Negotiation

By: Walter C. ClemensJr.

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North Korea and the World

Human Rights, Arms Control, and Strategies for Negotiation

By: Walter C. ClemensJr.

With nearly twenty-five million citizens, a secretive totalitarian dictatorship, and active nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs, North Korea presents some of the world's most difficult foreign policy challenges. For decades, the United States and its partners have employed multiple strategies in an effort to prevent Pyongyang from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Washington has moved from the Agreed Framework under President Bill Clinton to George W. Bush's denunciation of the regime as part of the "axis of evil" to a posture of "strategic patience" under Barack Obama. Given that a new president will soon occupy the White House, policy expert Walter C. Clemens Jr. argues that now is the time to reconsider US diplomatic efforts in North Korea. In North Korea and the World, Clemens poses the question, "Can, should, and must we negotiate with a regime we regard as evil?" Weighing the needs of all the stakeholders—including China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea—he concludes that the answer is yes. After assessing nine other policy options, he makes the case for engagement and negotiation with the regime. There still may be time to freeze or eliminate North Korea's weapons of mass destruction. Grounded in philosophy and history, this volume offers a fresh road map for negotiators and outlines a grand bargain that balances both ethical and practical security concerns.

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465

Publisher

University Press of Kentucky

Published Date

ISBN 10

0813167620

ISBN 13

9780813167626

Accompany Dynamics of International Relations

By: Walter C. Clemens,James P. Davis

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Accompany Dynamics of International Relations

By: Walter C. Clemens,James P. Davis

This study guide is designed to accompany the second edition of Walter C. Clemens, Jr.'s, Dynamics of International Relations and includes an introductory chapter by the author of the text. It is focused on one important aspect of studying international relations: doing research and writing it up, whether in the form of a book review, a bibliographic essay, or a full-scale term paper. The second part of the study guide is devoted to the various challenges of writing with sources, and is a valuable reference for many other college courses besides international relations.

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Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

0742529983

ISBN 13

9780742529984

Complexity Science and World Affairs

By: Walter C. Clemens Jr.

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Complexity Science and World Affairs

By: Walter C. Clemens Jr.

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292

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SUNY Press

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1438449011

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9781438449012

Bushed!

An Illustrated History of What Passionate Conservatives Have Done to America and the World

By: Walter C. Clemens

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Bushed!

An Illustrated History of What Passionate Conservatives Have Done to America and the World

By: Walter C. Clemens

Bushed! is a revealing analysis of the intent and consequences of the policies of President George W. Bush. Comprised of 15 Chapters (264 pages), the book covers the first three years of the Bush Administration from its ?Manifest Destiny? to Post-War Iraq. Bushed! contains more than 170 brilliant political cartoons by the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Miami Herald editorial cartoonist, Jim Morin. The illustrations are matched with the insightful text provided by Dr. Clemens, the distinguished professor of International Relations from Boston University.

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Page Count

268

Publisher

Outland Communications

Published Date

ISBN 10

0971410259

ISBN 13

9780971410251

Mikhail Gorbachev, a Leader for Soviet Change

By: Walter G. Oleksy

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Mikhail Gorbachev, a Leader for Soviet Change

By: Walter G. Oleksy

Describes the life and rise to power of the Soviet leader who has brought about the present openness of the Soviet Union to the West.

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158

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Children's Press(CT)

Published Date

ISBN 10

0516032658

ISBN 13

9780516032658

North Korea and the World

Human Rights, Arms Control, and Strategies for Negotiation

By: Walter C. ClemensJr.

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North Korea and the World

Human Rights, Arms Control, and Strategies for Negotiation

By: Walter C. ClemensJr.

With nearly twenty-five million citizens, a secretive totalitarian dictatorship, and active nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs, North Korea presents some of the world's most difficult foreign policy challenges. For decades, the United States and its partners have employed multiple strategies in an effort to prevent Pyongyang from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Washington has moved from the Agreed Framework under President Bill Clinton to George W. Bush's denunciation of the regime as part of the "axis of evil" to a posture of "strategic patience" under Barack Obama. Given that a new president will soon occupy the White House, policy expert Walter C. Clemens Jr. argues that now is the time to reconsider US diplomatic efforts in North Korea. In North Korea and the World, Clemens poses the question, "Can, should, and must we negotiate with a regime we regard as evil?" Weighing the needs of all the stakeholders -- including China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea -- he concludes that the answer is yes. After assessing nine other policy options, he makes the case for engagement and negotiation with the regime. There still may be time to freeze or eliminate North Korea's weapons of mass destruction. Grounded in philosophy and history, this volume offers a fresh road map for negotiators and outlines a grand bargain that balances both ethical and practical security concerns.

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Page Count

464

Publisher

University Press of Kentucky

Published Date

ISBN 10

0813167639

ISBN 13

9780813167633

Accompany Dynamics of International Relations

By: Walter C. Clemens,James P. Davis

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Accompany Dynamics of International Relations

By: Walter C. Clemens,James P. Davis

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Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

0742529983

ISBN 13

9780742529984

The Baltic Transformed

Complexity Theory and European Security

By: Walter C. Clemens

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The Baltic Transformed

Complexity Theory and European Security

By: Walter C. Clemens

Why isn't the Baltic region like the Balkans? Why have the Baltic republics not experienced ethnic cleansing, border wars, authoritarian rule, and social chaos? Instead, peace, democracy, and market economies have taken root since the fall of communism. Walter C. Clemens, Jr. here uses complexity theory, which analyzes the role of self-organization in complex adaptive systems, to explain the "Baltic miracle." He argues that the theory is a vital tool for understanding the remarkable strides made by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since 1991 in coping with the transition to partnership with the new Europe. The Baltic peoples have adapted well to the demands of democracy, a market economy, and a constructive role in world affairs. The achievements of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the past decade are the more amazing when considered against the hundreds of years they were dominated by Teutonic knights, Hanseatic merchants, Sweden, Russia, and the USSR. Clemens uses this history as a springboard to analyze how Balts self-organize today to meet the challenges of transition. One of the first books to apply complexity theory to a major sphere of world politics, The Baltic Transformed will provoke constructive debate with its ambitious and well-grounded analysis of not only Baltic developments but European security more generally. Despite its theoretical foundation, the book is written in a clear and accessible style that will make it invaluable for courses on comparative politics, political development, international relations, security, or transition studies.

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Page Count

312

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Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

0847698599

ISBN 13

9780847698592

Book's by Walter C. Clemens Jr.

Complexity Science and World Affairs

Complexity Science and World Affairs

Ambushed!

Ambushed!

Getting to Yes in Korea

Getting to Yes in Korea

Dynamics of International Relations

Dynamics of International Relations

The Baltic Transformed

The Baltic Transformed

Can Russia Change? (Routledge Revivals)

Can Russia Change? (Routledge Revivals)

Can Russia Change?

Can Russia Change?

North Korea and the World

North Korea and the World

Accompany Dynamics of International Relations

Accompany Dynamics of International Relations

Complexity Science and World Affairs

Complexity Science and World Affairs

Bushed!

Bushed!

Mikhail Gorbachev, a Leader for Soviet Change

Mikhail Gorbachev, a Leader for Soviet Change

North Korea and the World

North Korea and the World

Accompany Dynamics of International Relations

Accompany Dynamics of International Relations

The Baltic Transformed

The Baltic Transformed

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