Overview

In Cooperation among Nations, Joseph M. Grieco offers a provocative answer to a fundamental question in world politics: How does the anarchical nature of the international system inhibit the willingness of states to work together even when they share common interests? Grieco examines the capacity of two leading contemporary theories--modem political realism and the newest liberal institutionalism--to explain national responses to the non-tariff barrier codes negotiated during the Tokyo Round of international trade talks. According to his interpretation of realist theory, Grieco characterizes states as ""defensive positionalists."" As such, they often fail to cooperate because they fear that a joint endeavor, while producing positive gains for all participants, might also generate disparities in gains among the partners involved. Grieco demonstrates that this realist concept of defensive state positionalism gives rise to a better understanding of the systemic constraints on international collaboration and of the impact of anarchy on states than is offered by neoliberal institutionalism. Drawing on previously unreported archival materials, Grieco rigorously applies the two theories to an empirical analysis of the cooperative efforts of the United States and the European Community during the 1980s to regulate and reduce non-tariff trade barriers through the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

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9780801496998

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Reviews

This innovative and well-argued book attacks the basic conceptual underpinnings of much of the current literature in international relations. The primary empirical research-the exhaustive cataloguing of the Tokyo Round results-is both original and extremely useful. It is a book that ought to be read by anyone who is interested in international political economy in general, and trade negotiations in particular. A fine piece of work that will generate much debate. -- John Conybeare, University of Iowa

Author Information

Joseph M. Grieco is Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University.

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