| ID | 163282 |
| Title Proper | Corinthian thesis |
| Other Title Information | the oratorical origins of the idea of the balance of power in herodotus, thucydides, and xenophon |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Dinneen, Nathan |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | David Hume famously argued that the idea of the balance of power existed in antiquity. However, he rests his case almost entirely on the deeds of the ancient Greeks. This evidence, by itself, only shows that balance of powers emerged as an outcome of competitive Greeks warring with each other for power and prestige. It does not demonstrate the existence of the balance of power as a social convention of the inter-polis society or as a goal of a regime's foreign policy. I argue that a focus on the speeches in the political histories of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon bears out his claim. Attention to these speeches rebuts Hume's main critics of the last century—that is, international relations scholars belonging to the English School. In particular, the speeches of the Corinthians from prior to the Persian Wars to the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War reveal an enduring thesis of their foreign policy: that imperial ambitions and leveling tendencies, such as those of Athens, Sparta, and Thebes, should be countered in order to prevent a tyrant city from emerging within the society of Greek city-states. |
| `In' analytical Note | International Studies Quarterly Vol. 62, 4, Dec-2018; p857–866 |
| Journal Source | International Studies Quarterly Vol: 62 No 4 |
| Key Words | Political Theory ; Herodotus, History ; Foreign Policy ; Greek City-States ; Xenophon |