Human nature and world politics: Cognition, identity, and influence

Many psychologists deem it self-evident that psychology can make fundamenta l contributions to our understanding of world politics. Many social scienti sts, however, argue that policymakers are rightly constrained by macro poli tical and economic forces. This article will advance a systemic approach to world politics that challenges: (a) psychologists by highlighting ways in which macro social structures may transform the character of "basic" intrap sychic processes; (b) anti-psychological theorists by showing that even the most sweepingly deterministic macro claims-for example, claims about the p ower of free trade to promote peace-rest on controversial assumptions about human nature. Systemic approaches to world politics are far more consisten t with how seasoned diplomats-from Dag Hammarskjold to Henry Kissinger-have historically approached geopolitical problems than are the traditional but increasingly obsolete micro and macro dualities that have dominated academ ic analyses.