From: The Power of Narrative: A new book explains why some nations rise and others don’t.
"A new book by Boston University’s Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Why Nations Rise: Narratives and the Path to Great Power... attempts to provide a novel explanation for why some states that acquire the requisite material attributes become great powers while others, despite obtaining such capabilities, do not."
"Miller’s account is rooted in a different intellectual tradition, one that emphasizes the role of ideas in shaping international politics."
"To make her case, Miller compares the experiences of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Japan, India, and China. Even with its broad sweep and careful attention to pertinent historical details, the book remains short, readable, and succinct. Miller argues that even though all states that became great powers had grand strategies and material assets that allowed them to do so, they also had narratives that accomplished three goals.
First, she describes how narratives allowed states to reconcile their expanding material capabilities with the constraints the extant international order imposed. They also helped states grapple with the prevailing notions of great-power status, whether that be the possession of colonies, weapons of mass destruction, or something else. Finally, rising states were also able to explain their increasing involvement in the global order both to domestic and international audiences."
"It is certainly possible to disagree with the basic argument of this book. ... Miller’s meticulous research, her explicit argument, and her work’s intellectual reach may provoke a discussion of how great powers emerge and/or fail to realize their potential."
