The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru

Why do leaders sometimes challenge, rather than accept, the international structures that surround their states? In The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru, Andrew Kennedy answers this question through in-depth studies of Chinese foreign policy under Mao Zedong and Indian foreign policy under Jawaharlal Nehru. Drawing on international relations theory and psychological research, Kennedy offers a new theoretical explanation for bold leadership in foreign policy, one that stresses the beliefs that leaders develop about the "national efficacy" of their states. He shows how this approach illuminates several of Mao and Nehru's most important military and diplomatic decisions, drawing on archival evidence and primary source materials from China, India, the United States, and the United Kingdom. A rare blend of theoretical innovation and historical scholarship, The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru is a fascinating portrait of how foreign policy decisions are made.

Author: Andrew Kennedy
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 12/31/2011
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780521193511

Review Citation(s):
Choice 08/01/2012

About the Author
Kennedy, Andrew: - Andrew Kennedy teaches international politics at the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University. He received his Ph.D. in 2007 from Harvard University, where his dissertation received the Edward M. Chase Award for the best dissertation on a subject related to world peace. He holds a Master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a B.S. summa cum laude in Psychology from Duke University. He has also held postdoctoral appointments at Princeton University and Harvard University. His work has appeared in Survival: Global Politics and Strategy, The China Quarterly, Asian Survey, The Washington Post and the Christian Science Monitor.