June 1, 2007

The Power of the State in a Global Economy

By DANIEL W. DREZNER

When I began working on my latest book, I also began regularly reading a news source greatly undervalued in international relations: The Onion. The timing was serendipitous because I soon stumbled across a mock headline that crystallized one of my central themes: "Correct Theory Discarded in Favor of More Exciting Theory."

That headline resonated because, simply put, international relations is a faddish discipline. Scholars are always searching for the new new theory to explain world