Rules of the Game

Reviews / Votes

"Mark Amstutz has found an insightful and creative way to introduce students to the study of international relations. His game metaphor simplifies a confusing world without being simplistic. This is a nuanced and textured book that takes us right to the heart of international society."Brent F. Nelsen, Furman University"As a teaching text, this book possesses the important (and rare) virtues of clarity, comprehensiveness, and readability. The author has performed a major feat in abstracting and listing so clearly the principles and rules by which the international system operates-without pushing an agenda that either endorses the status quo or is in any way utopian. This book covers the basics and frees up the instructor to enhance the course with additional readings-important for academics who are all jealous of class time!"Stephen Wrage, U.S. Naval Academy"With brilliant creativity, Mark Amstutz uses the metaphor of a game to illustrate the whole range of ways that rules structure international relations-even when competition between states and other armed actors is at its deadliest. The game image, along with Amstutz's stress on the moral dimension of statecraft, combine to offer students a uniquely effective tool for understanding international relations in all of its complexity."Daniel Philpott, University of Notre Dame"Mark Amstutz, one of the United States' most respected scholars and teachers of world affairs, has written a book, Rules of the Game, that uses games as a metaphor for analyzing and thinking about contemporary issues of international relations. He employs an approach that is based on realism but consistently informed by ethical concerns. This is a book that both students and interested citizens will profit from reading and is highly recommended."Dan Caldwell, Pepperdine University"Profesor Amstutz has found a clever way to introduce students to the complexities of international relations, using a metaphor that resonates with the most sophisticated practitioners of international statecraft, with the greenest of new scholars, and with everyone in between."Peter Feaver, Duke University