This book occupies the same niche as Raymond Aron’s 1962 classic, Peace and War. While Aron wrote during the Cold War, Thierry de Montbrial writes about the post-Soviet international system, a system that is multipolar, ideologically heterogeneous, and thus highly unstable. In this book, he lays the foundation for a praxeology, or a “science of action,” to facilitate a better understanding of the dynamics of international problems and a more systematic approach to policy making. A major contribution to international relations theory and winner of the 2002 Georges Pompidou Prize, this book offers the necessary keys to decrypt the international system in the twenty-first century.

Thierry de Montbrial's profile page

• Commended, The Hill Times List of Top 100 Best Books for 2013

Thierry de Montbrial is the president and founder of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) and of the World Policy Conference (WPC). This is the first English edition of his award-winning book, which has already been published in seven languages.