Constructing Power: A Critical and Constructivist Theory Using the American Case (Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Security Applications)

Wedekind, Kirby L.

Springer International Publishing AG（2025/03発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 170 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9783031848926
• DDC分類 320.011

Full Description

This book asserts that there exists a causal relationship between identity, interest, and the exercise of power. The work defines power as the ability to satisfy oneself, which makes power contingent upon belief. It also dissects the concepts of identity, interest, and power to reveal how each works and relate to the others. This analysis creates a new theory of power using constructivism informed by critical theory, departing from neorealist and neoliberal perspectives. The work uses the United States to test the theory by examining US national identity, interest, and exercises of power. A deconstruction of American Exceptionalism proceeds three case studies and runs as a theme to connect each, unifying the work. A military operation in 2016 against the Islamic State in Libya, the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, and the whiplash caused by US participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement serve as the three case studies for analyzing US identity, interest, and power through the theory. This work proposes a new way of understanding power based on constructivism and informed by critical theory that applies to interpersonal and international relationships. Every relation is a power relation and power is the ability to satisfy oneself. This book provides insight into the underlying causes and machinations that transpire within every kind of social relation. This is a significant shift in how power is understood and applied in politics, the military, business, and interpersonal relationships. This book seeks to provide the reader with greater and clearer understanding of themselves, the world in which they live, and why it exists as such.

Contents

A New Conception of Power in Form and Practice.- The Great American Identity Crisis.- Military Power in Operation Odyssey Lightning.- The Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the Response of the United States.- Diplomacy, Persuasion, and the Cost of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.- The Religion of American Exceptionalism and its role in the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol.- Conclusion: A New Definition of Power.