Pandaemonium: Ethnicity in International Politics

Responsible for the collapse of empires ranging from the Ottoman to the Soviet, self-determination has been one of the key factors in the history of the entire twentieth century. Surprisingly, scholars have been slow to appreciate the value of ethnicity as a way of understanding the key political developments of our times. In this challenging new book, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan draws on a rich and diverse fund of historical and contemporary examples to trace the history and illustrate the considerable predictive powers of ethnic studies. In particular, he shows how ethnicity confounded Marx's hopes for an international proletariat and reveals how an inability to grasp the importance of ethnic diversity left the West unprepared for the disintegration of the Communist bloc. About the author: Daniel Patrick Moynihan has been been the senior US Senator from New York since 1976 and is the only man in American history to have served in the cabinet or sub-cabinet of four successive presidents. He is also a highly distinguished academic, having taught at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Syracuse, Cornell, and New York Universities and been lauded with an astonishing 55 honorary degrees.

Table of Contents:
Ethnicity as a discipline; on the "self-determination" of peoples; national proletarian internationalism; before the fall; order in the age of chaos.

About the Author :
`a national treasure ... No one is better at putting an issue in historical context and making it relevant.' Senator Bill Bradley, in the Wall Street Journal Daniel Patrick Moynihan has been been the senior US Senator from New York since 1976 and is the only man in American history to have served in the cabinet or sub-cabinet of four successive presidents. He is also a highly distinguished academic, having taught at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Syracuse, Cornell, and New York Universities and been lauded with an astonishing 55 honorary degrees. Local interests: Senator Moynihan is an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics and Political Science and is from an Irish family.

Review :
`Should provoke much debate.' San Francisco Chronicle ` The musings of a man as witty and erudite as Mr Moynihan contain many plums.' The Economist `This is not a book with a single carefully woven argument; rather it is a series of sparky and frequently contradictory observations on ethnicity in international relations ... stimulating.' New Statesman and Society `Interesting and provocative.' Wall Street Journal Europe `Moynihan's essay is a witty polemic against the po-faced `realism' of American Cold War foreign policy ... a lucid guide to our confusions.' Michael Ignatieff, The Observer `In Pandaemonium, Daniel Patrick Moynihan has created a brilliant work of utmost importance. The spectre of violent ethnic conflict and the fractious breakup of nations haunts the contemporary world. Senator Moynihan has addressed the issue with a rare combination of skills and experience which include deep knowledge of relevant ethnic scholarship and analysis, a virtuoso command of the content of recent historical events, and personal involvement at the highest levels of international diplomacy. This is assuredly a book no other living person could have written.' Milton M. Gordon, Professor-Emeritus of Sociology, University of Massachusetts `Today as much asDSperhaps even more thanDSever, ethnicity makes the world go 'round. And bleed. So, too, does careless talk about the `right' of `self-determination' when an armed ethnic group is the `self'. Because Moynihan has written this passionate essay, we have been warned.' George F. Will 'Moynihan displays erudition and a mastery of material.' Kirkus Reviews, Feb '93 `an interesting and provocative perspective for debating these issues in Pandaemonium: Ethnicity and International Politics' Wall Street Journal ' The splendid principle of self-determination. The musings of a man as witty and erudite as Mr Moynihan contain many plums.' The Economist 'A short, thought-provoking and densely written essay, Pandaemonium provides some welcome context for the confusion on the world stage at the moment.' John Lorinc, The Globe & Mail (Toronto) 'few publications have offered a much-needed historical perspective ... In this far-ranging, data-packed study, Moynihan provides much of that sort of perspective ... provocative and informative.' Daniel Newberry, Foreign Service Journal, May 1993 `He certainly knows how to put across his message with force and humour, and all international observers and practitioners should read this little book.' International Affairs `Moynihan's great achievement in Pandaemonium lies in his ability to lay bare the principle of self-determination in all of its tangled complexity and to argue persuasively for the formative role that it plays in shaping the character of international politics.' Harvard International Review 'He is a talented collector of anecdotes and sayings ... no one else in the thick of U.S. government keeps on thinking and learning as much as Senator Moynihan. I do not know of a living American more admirable.' Gerald Owen, The Toronto Star `masterly reflections on ethnicity and its place in our intellectual and political life ... Though Moynihan has a master story-teller's eye for detail, a scholar's instinct for comparison, and a publicist's flare for delightful exaggeration, he writes wth considerable wisdom and insight that can come only after two decades of a distinguished academic career and another two decades of public life' The Economic Times New Delhi `anyone interested in the problems that such passions present to the contemporary state system will ... find his reflections informed, well-considered and timely ... Pandaemonium is a series of reflections and should be read as such ... this collection of essays reveals a certain singularity of personal conviction ... Pandaemonium offers lucid and stimulating reflections on a very important subject. Moynihan's wide-ranging historical and theoretical overview of ethnicity in international politics is not only a timely introductory text but also a guide to further lines of academic inquiry' Millennium 'Despite the seemingly unsurmountable wealth of facts from both history and present times that show the Senator's dazzling knowledge and deep understanding of the topics, his work allows access to everybody who is concerned about the situation of our world.' Dagmar Reimmann, Law and Politics in Africa, Asia and Latin America, 27.Jahrgang-1.Quartal 1994 `Pandaemonium is a little book about a big subject ...Its author is nearly as important as the subject. Daniel "Pat" Moynihan is the senior senator from the state of New York ... He is also street-wise and smart as hell.' Courier Mail `this book is of particular interest today when each newscast brings horror stories of atrocities committed by one ethnic group against another. While he offers no solutions to ethnic strife, he enables the reader to think more clearly about the issue' Toronto Star `This book is written in an easily comprehensible though intellectual style. Despite the seemingly unsurmountable wealth of facts from both history and present times that show the Senator's dazzling knowledge and deep understanding of the topics, his work allows access to everybody who is concerned about the situation of our world.' US News and World Report