Jack Snyder is a leading American international relations scholar with an international reputation for his research on IR theory and US Foreign policy. This book collects many of his most important essays into a single volume.

1. Introduction Part 1: Anarchy and Its Effects 2. Chain Gangs and Passed Bucks with Thomas Christensen 3. Averting Anarchy in the New Europe 4. Civil War and the Security Dilemma with Robert Jervis 5. Anarchy and Culture Part 2: The Challenges of Democratic Transition 6. Turbulent Transitions: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War with Edward Mansfield 7. Nationalism and the Marketplace of Ideas with Karen Ballentine 8. Democratization and Civil War, with Edward Mansfield 9. Russian Backwardness and the Future of Europe Part 3: Empire and the Promotion of a Liberal Order 10. Myths of Empire and Strategies of Hegemony 11. Empire: A Blunt Tool for Democratization 12. Free Hand Abroad, Divide and Rule at Home with Robert Y. Shapiro and Yaeli Bloch-Elkon 13. Trials and Errors: Principles and Pragmatism in International Justice with Leslie Vinjamuri 14. Conclusion: Summarizing Prescriptions in Such Areas as Offshore Balancing, Democracy Promotion, and Human Rights