Erotics of Empire Falkiner Final-2
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The London School of Economics and Political Science The Erotics of Empire: Love, Power, and Tragedy in Thucydides and Hans Morgenthau Daniel Thomas Rothwell Falkiner A thesis submitted to the Department of International Relations of the London School of Economics and Political Science for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London. January 2015. !1 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third parties. I declare that my thesis consists of 99,683 words. !2 Abstract A number of influential early International Relations (IR) theorists explicitly theorised politics in terms of ‘tragedy’ and their discourse was revived at the be- ginning of the 21st century. This thesis engages with this ‘tragic’ tradition of in- ternational political theory and pushes the debate in directions that have previ- ously been hinted at but which have nonetheless remained largely unexplored. It is argued here that from the late archaic to the end of the classical period in an- cient Athens, eros (‘sexual love’, ‘passionate yearning’) and its cognates came to form the conceptual basis of a political discourse that fused elements of sex, power, and gender into what we might call a kind of ‘erotic politics’. This dis- course is clearly reflected in tragedy; many dramas take eros as a central theme and explore the role that the emotion could (and should) play in the community. Although it is usually transgressive and destructive, tragic eros is nevertheless redeemable in terms of the benefits it can bestow on the city when handled wisely. Using this contextualised reading of tragedy as a reference point, the dis- sertation critically analyses the texts of two influential commentators on interna- tional politics, namely, Thucydides and Hans Morgenthau. It is argued that both of these authors were heavily influenced by the Athenian discourse of erotic politics, especially as it appears in tragedy; love, power, and tragedy were cent- ral to both men’s understanding of international politics. This analysis will provide an original perspective on Thucydides’ and Morgenthau’s political philosophies and will open up new ways at looking at some of the ‘tragic’ situ- ations that recent scholars have identified in contemporary politics. !3 Acknowledgements Completing this dissertation would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of a large number of people. I am extremely grateful to my friends, mentors and family members who in their different ways have given me so much over the course of this project. In particular, I wish to thank: * Eddie Arghand, Rupert Brodersen, Ribale Haidar, Mark Kersten, Katia Klenina, Philipp Lamprecht, Curtis Ohlers, Philip Schleifer, and Youyou Zhang, whose warm friendship during these last few years in soggy old London have helped to lift my spirits when they were low and point me in the right direction when I was lost. There are many other people whose company brightened my days but this list is too long to recite here; suffice it to say that I will always treasure the memories I have made during this wonderful time at the LSE; * Professor Christopher Coker, whose great generosity towards, faith in and encouragement of my project helped keep alive in me the will to keep going when times were particularly tough; * Professor Kim Hutchings, whose supervision was characterised by ex- traordinary temperance, patience and wisdom. What is good in this thesis is there because of her; without her direction and guidance, there would be a great deal more to criticise. The faults that remain are mine alone; * My family, the gang: Hanne, Marc, Sarah, Laura. I have been blessed to have grown up in a group of individuals whose small flaws only testify to the humanity of these truly heroic figures. I cannot say enough how rich each of them has made my life. I must, however, make a special mention of my sister, Sarah, whose creativity and insight often helped unlock the key thoughts I was looking for on our walks together. I must also add that the term ‘thanks’ cannot adequately express what I have for the love and support of my mother, Hanne. But I will say it anyway: thank you so much, Mum. I couldn’t have done any of this without you; * My late father, Chris. Unfortunately, he can never read this but his wish that I should receive an excellent education has now been fulfilled. I am etern- ally grateful for this fact. This is for you, Dad. Finally, I must thank the old poet who inspired me to choose this path. It’s been a difficult journey, and I’ve learned many lessons. The most important of these is reflected in this thesis, insofar as here the poets have been treated as they al- ways should be – with care, respect, and abiding admiration. !4 Table of Contents Glossary of Ancient Greek Terms and Persons............................................. 9 Part One All’s Fair in Love and War? Tragedy, Eros, Politics Chapter One Introduction………………………………………………………………… 12 Section One: Reviewing the Literature (i) The Structural Approach…………………………………. 15 (ii) The Agentic Approach…………………………………… 18 Section Two: Critiquing the Literature (i) The Structural Approach…………………………………. 27 (ii) The Agentic Approach…………………………………… 33 Section Three: Overview and Method……………………………………… 41 Chapter Two Introduction…………………………………………………………………. 51 Section One: Love and Society in Ancient Greece (i) Sexuality in Ancient Greece…………………………….. 51 (ii) Eros, Sexuality and Society…………………………….... 59 Section Two: Tyranny and Democracy in Athens (i) Tyranny and the Birth of Democracy…………………...... 70 (ii) The Demos and the Death of Tyranny…………………..... 76 (iii)The Tyrant in the Democratic Imagination……………….. 81 Conclusion....................................................................................................... 89 Chapter Three Introduction…………………………………………………………………. 91 Section One: Tragedy in Context (i) The Politics of Tragedy………………………………….. 92 (ii) Something to Do with Dionysus (and Eros)……………… 96 Section Two: Eros in Tragedy !5 (i) Tragic Responses to Eros…………………………….. 108 Conclusion………………………………………………………………... 117 Part Two The Erotics of Empire Chapter Four Introduction………………………………………………………………. 120 Section One: Eros and the Athenian Ideal (i) Pericles and ‘the Lover of the City’………………..… 121 (ii) Imperialism and the Athenian Ideal………………...... 133 Section Two: Erotic Citizenship and Tragedy (i) Euripides and the Suppliants…………………………... 139 (ii) Tragedy and Patriotism……………………………….. 145 Conclusion……………………………………………………………… 150 Chapter Five Introduction……………………………………………………………….. 151 Section One: The Destruction of the Sicilian Expedition (i) The Roles of Alcibiades and Nicias………………….. 152 (ii) The Problem of Stasis and Erotic Citizenship……….. 162 Section Two: The Tragedy of Athens (i) Alcibiades and Dionysus……………………………... 172 Conclusion……………………………………………………………… 180 Chapter Six Introduction……………………………………………………………….. 181 The Mytilene Debate (i) ‘A Massive Moral Hangover’………………………… 181 (ii) Diodotus and/as Thucydides………………………….. 188 (iii)Tragedy and the Erotic Theory of Politics……………. 201 Conclusion……………………………………………………………… 205 !6 Part Three Love, Power, Tragedy: From the Ancients to the Modern World Chapter Seven Introduction……………………………………………………………….. 208 Eros and Dionysus in the Symposium (i) In Praise of Love: The Speeches of the Symposium…. 209 (ii) Thucydides and Aristophanes on Political Eros……... 222 Conclusion………………………………………………………………... 225 Chapter Eight Introduction……………………………………………………………….. 227 Section One: Morgenthau in Context (i) The Influence of Freud and Nietzsche……………….. 228 (ii) Morgenthau, Tyranny and Total War………………... 236 Section Two: Morgenthau on Love and Power (i) Loneliness, Love and Power……………………….... 237 (ii) Morgenthau’s Debts to the Ancients……………….... 246 (iii)Tyranny and Democracy, Power and Love………….. 250 Conclusion……………………………………………………………….. 257 Chapter Nine Introduction………………………………………………………………. 259 Section One: Eros and the Tragedy of Man (i) From the Domestic to the International……………… 259 Section Two: Morgenthau and Thucydides (i) Morgenthau’s Engagement with the History………... 268 (ii) Morgenthau and Thucydides on Erotic Politics……... 274 Conclusion……………………………………………………………….. 278 Chapter Ten Introduction…………………………………………………………........ 280 Summary of Findings (i) Overview…………………………………………..... 280 !7 (ii) Relevance to the Discipline……………………….... 285 Directions for Further Research……………………………………….... 306 Bibliography………………………………………………………….... 310 !8 Glossary of Ancient Greek Terms and Persons Aeschines = politician and orator, born in Athens 389 B.C. Agon = duel, competition Alcaius = lyric poet, born in Mytilene c. 620 B.C. Alcibiades = politician and general, born in Athens c. 450 B.C. Anacreon = lyric poet, born in Teos c. 582 B.C. Andreia = manliness, courage Arche = rule, empire, power Archilochus = lyric poet, born in Paros c. 680 B.C. Aristogeiton = middle class Athenian tyrannicide, lover of Harmodius Catharsis = release, purgation