Dichotomy of Power studies the future of the nation-state as the world's basic political organization and the foundation of modern international relations. Richard A. Matthew argues that this construct, once championed as the rational and preferred basis for global order, developed through a series of dichotomies: realism mediated by idealism; coercive power politics balanced by constitutive mode of power; and a collaborative search for a just society. The book analyzes conceptualization of the nation-state in Western tradition of political thought, from classical politics to postmodern debate about nation-state as ideal mechanism for organizing power in a new global age--Publisher's description.