Quotes from book
Man, the State, and War

Man, the State, and War
Kenneth N. Waltz

Man, the State, and War is a 1959 book on international relations by realist academic Kenneth Waltz. The book is influential within the field of international relations theory for establishing the three 'images of analysis' used to explain conflict in the international system.

Kenneth N. Waltz photo

“The transitory interests of royal houses may be advanced in war; the real interests of all people are furthered by the peace.”

Kenneth N. Waltz book Man, the State, and War

Source: Man, the State, and War (1959), Chapter IV, The Second Image, p. 98

Kenneth N. Waltz photo

“To solve these problems one needs as much an understanding of politics as an understanding of man - and the one cannot be derived from the other.”

Kenneth N. Waltz book Man, the State, and War

Source: Man, the State, and War (1959), Chapter II, The First Image, p. 38

Kenneth N. Waltz photo

“Asking who won a given war, someone has said, is like asking who won the San Francisco earthquake. That in war there is no victory but only varying degrees of defeat is a proposition that has gained increasing acceptance in the twentieth century.”

Kenneth N. Waltz book Man, the State, and War

Source: Man, the State, and War (1959), Chapter I, Introduction, p. 1