The Virtue of Adversity

This article is a personal account of how the author came to write his two best-known books, Man, the State, and War and Theory of International Politics. He explains the context of his early career, his army service, and some key academic influences. The article then discusses the origins of his two other major works, on foreign policy and democratic politics and on the implications of the spread of nuclear weapons. In commenting on the course of his long writing and teaching career, Professor Waltz highlights the critical importance and influence of his wife, Helen Waltz.