After Victory

"Winner of the Jervis-Shroeder Best Book Award" G. John Ikenberry is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Political and International Affairs at Princeton University and a Global Eminence Scholar at Kyung Hee University in Seoul. His books include Liberal Leviathan (Princeton). The end of the Cold War was a "big bang" reminiscent of earlier moments after major wars, such as the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the end of the world wars in 1919 and 1945. But what do states that win wars do with their newfound power, and how do they use it to build order? In After Victory, John Ikenberry examines postwar settlements in modern history, arguing that powerful countries do seek to build stable and cooperative relations, but the type of order that emerges hinges on their ability to make commitments and restrain power. He explains that only with the spread of democracy in the twentieth century and the innovative use of international institutions-both linked to the emergence of the United States as a world power-has order been created that goes beyond balance of power politics to exhibit "constitutional" characteristics. Blending comparative politics with international relations, and history with theory, After Victory will be of interest to anyone concerned with the organization of world order, the role of institutions in world politics, and the lessons of past postwar settlements for today. "After Victory showed how international governance can serve the interest of hegemonic powers."-New York Times "The liberal argument that democratic regimes can make a dramatic difference in world affairs has finally achieved intellectual respectability, as this fine book so convincingly maintains."-Foreign Affairs "After Victory is a majestic work that combines many familiar but seemingly unrelated themes into one elegant package of exceptional theoretical and empirical sweep. . . . It should have an enduring impact on the study and practice of international relations."-Journal of Politics "Thought-provoking . . . and an important contribution."-Political Science Quarterly "Unquestionably one of the most important books in the field."-International Affairs "An elegant, penetrating study. . . . This pathbreaking work is one of the most important . . . on international order to appear in many years."-Choice