Entanglements in World Politics

In this seminal study, Peter J. Katzenstein drags the analysis of world politics from the Newtonian humanism and para-humanism of the nineteenth century into a new post-Newtonianism of the twenty-first. The key concept is entanglement. By examining differences in context, process, and language, Katzenstein specifies how risk and uncertainty intertwine. Three deeply researched case studies – finance and political economy, nuclear crisis politics and war, and global warming and AI – support his original arguments. A chapter on power further illustrates the risk-uncertainty conundrum. Entanglements in World Politics calls for humility and eclectic pragmatism, emphasizing the unity of knowledge of the natural and humanistic sciences and the complementarities of science and religion. Katzenstein’s engaging writing and innovative approach make this a must-read for anyone interested in the complexities of global politics. This book is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Peter J. Katzenstein is the Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies at Cornell University. His work addresses issues of political economy, security, and culture in world politics. In 2020 he was named the 26th recipient of the Johan Skytte Prize. He is the author, co-author, editor, and co-editor of more than forty books, edited volumes, or monographs and over 100 articles or book chapters. Recent books include Uncertainty and Its Discontents: Worldviews in World Politics (2022), Downfall: The End of the American Order (co-edited with Jonathan Kirshner, Reference Kirshner2022), and Protean Power: Exploring the Uncertain and Unexpected in World Politics (co-edited with the late Lucia Seybert, 2018). Katzenstein served as President of the American Political Science Association from 2008 to 2009, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Science in 1987, the American Philosophical Society in 2009, and the British Academy in 2015. He holds six honorary degrees.