在勒博與眾不同的職業生涯中，他一如既往地挑戰國際關繫的傳統範疇。在這本權威的著作裡，勒博提出了一種涵蓋社會、歷史和國際秩序的新理論。現實主義者的分析始於無政府狀態下的國家，自由主義者的分析則始於現代化世界的社會，而勒博的分析始於個人、心理學與人類的動機。追尋著古希臘人的思想，勒博假定，個人對社會秩序的構建，是基於人類心智的若干核心動機，即精神、欲望和理性。古往今來，凡是能實現穩固和平的政治秩序，均基於這些核心動機的不同組合。汲取哲學、歷史、政治學、社會心理學和認同理論，勒博構建了一種“政治範式”，嘗試解釋不同時代統治的流變。接下來是一席知識的盛宴，勒博描繪了基於精神、欲望和理性的不同組合的世界秩序。書中的各章分別探究了特定時代中的價值觀與實踐如何隨著時間而流變，譬如基於精神的政治如何讓位於欲望的精打細算、基於畏懼的容易引發衝突的情緒，以及具有克制力的理性。這本書的結構嚴謹合理且令人振奮，將在世界政治的主要理論中占有一席之地。
Over a distinguished career, Lebow has
consistently challenged conventional categories of thinking about international
relations. In this magisterial new volume, he lays out his own sweeping theory
of society, history, and international order. Whereas realists start their
analysis with states operating in anarchy and liberals start with societies in
the modernizing world, Lebow starts with individuals, psychology, and human
motives. Following ancient Greek thought, he posits that individuals build social
order around a few core impulses of the human psyche: spirit, appetite, and
reason. Across the ages, political orders have relied on different mixes of
these primal impulses to achieve a stable peace. Drawing on philosophy,
history, political science, social psychology, and theories of identity, Lebow
builds a "paradigm of politics" that seeks to account for variations
over time in the way governance has been organized. A rich intellectual feast
ensues, as he depicts alternative world orders built around different
combinations of spirit, appetite, and reason.
Chapters on specific time periods explore
how values and practices have evolved over the grand sweep of time, with spirit
based politics having given way to the shifting calculations of appetite, the
conflict-prone sentiments of fear, and the restraining impulses of reason.
Architectonic and provocative, this book will take its place alongside other
major theories of world politics.
——《外交事務》Foreign
Affairs
評論人：普林斯頓大學政治與國際關繫教授約翰·伊肯伯裡(John G. Ikenberry)
《國際關繫的文化理論》是勒博計劃寫的“三部曲”中的第二本，前一本書是《政治的悲劇觀：倫理、利益與秩序》（劍橋大學出版社，2003年）。《國際關繫的文化理論》是一部有影響力的著作，正文將近600頁，而參考文獻竟多達170頁。勒博的立意宏大且雄心勃勃，他的研究涵蓋了古希臘、加洛林帝國、百年戰爭、次世界大戰，以及喬治.沃克.布什的總統任期。不僅如此，勒博還涉及了第二次世界大戰中日本人的動機、歐洲中世紀時代騎士精神規範的興起、17世紀的三十年戰爭，以及歐洲與彼得大帝治下的俄羅斯帝國之間的競爭。
Over a distinguished career, Lebow has
consistently challenged conventional categories of thinking about international
relations. In this magisterial new volume, he lays out his own sweeping theory
of society, history, and international order. Whereas realists start their
analysis with states operating in anarchy and liberals start with societies in
the modernizing world, Lebow starts with individuals, psychology, and human
motives. Following ancient Greek thought, he posits that individuals build social
order around a few core impulses of the human psyche: spirit, appetite, and
reason. Across the ages, political orders have relied on different mixes of
these primal impulses to achieve a stable peace. Drawing on philosophy,
history, political science, social psychology, and theories of identity, Lebow
builds a "paradigm of politics" that seeks to account for variations
over time in the way governance has been organized. A rich intellectual feast
ensues, as he depicts alternative world orders built around different
combinations of spirit, appetite, and reason. Chapters on specific time periods
explore how values and practices have evolved over the grand sweep of time,
with spirit based politics having given way to the shifting calculations of
appetite, the conflict-prone sentiments of fear, and the restraining impulses
of reason. Architectonic and provocative, this book will take its place alongside
other major theories of world politics.
——《國際事務》International Affairs
評論人：英國皇家國際關繫研究所(Chatham House)亞洲研究部主管克裡.布朗 (Kerry Brown)
部主管克裡.布朗 (Kerry Brown)
這本書述及的歷史跨越了2500年，汲取了諸多偉大思想家的智慧。我十分確定的是，每位讀者都能樂在其中。
—— 克裡斯布朗，倫敦經濟學院國際關繫學繫
勒博探究了支撐人類國際關繫發展的要素，其中包括基於精神的古希臘和羅馬時代，以及基於焦慮和威脅的現代戰略。
——保羅卡特利奇，劍橋大學古典文學院
勒博超越了華爾茲、基歐漢和溫特。《國際關繫的文化理論》明確地宣告了一種具有替代性的知識框架的出現，可稱之為“心理學的建構主義”。勒博融彙了古典和現代有關認同心理的深刻見解，從根本上突破了我們對國際政治發展態勢的傳統理解。
——雅克海曼斯，南加州大學國際關繫學院
勒博完成了一部具有重大理論動力與歷史意義的著作。要完成如此重要的研究，唯有歷經多年的思索與探究，而這部著作必將在未來的許多年為人所品讀。
—— 羅伯特傑維斯，哥倫比亞大學國際與公共事務學院
這本書論述有力，具有理論性的辨析，長於洞悉歷史和當代，該書將會成為人類科學中一個重要的理論起點。
—— 尼古拉斯裡格，聖安德魯斯大學政治理論與國際關繫教授
