Theories of International Relations
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1 Linking Ethics and Security in Canadian Foreign Policy Rosalind Irwin
01Chap1.qxd 7/9/01 1:09 PM Page 3 1 Linking Ethics and Security in Canadian Foreign Policy Rosalind Irwin The relationship between “ethics” and “security” is one of the most impor- tant problems of international relations. Scholars and practitioners have debated the nature of the linkage between ethics and security since the time of the Peloponnesian War in ancient Greece.1 The theoretical tradi- tion of realism in international politics has historically treated “security” as “synonymous with the security of the state against external dangers, which was to be achieved by increasing military capabilities.”2 Seen through the lens of the Cold War nuclear competition between the super- powers, realist scholars emphasized the exclusion of ethical from security considerations in foreign policy. Critics argued that this narrow approach to security led to a paradoxical failure: the pursuit of national security was ultimately not able to provide security from many of the threats that appeared on the horizon. These included, for example, resource shortages (such as the 1970s oil crisis), civil war and conflict, threats to human rights, global warming, and destabilization caused by poverty and famine. In addition, globalization appeared to make the notion of a “hard shell” of national sovereignty and national security increasingly problematic in the context of rapid global communication and exchange. These tensions led critics of the traditional approach to articulate more positively the nature of the linkages between ethics and security considerations in international relations, and specifically in foreign policy decision-making processes. Efforts to understand the nature of these relationships have been consider- ably more notable in, although are not exclusive to, the post-Cold War era. -
National Interest and International Solidarity
United Nations University Press is the publishing arm of the United Nations University. UNU Press publishes scholarly and policy-oriented books and periodicals on the issues facing the United Nations and its peoples and member states, with particular emphasis upon international, regional and trans-boundary policies. The United Nations University was established as a subsidiary organ of the United Nations by General Assembly resolution 2951 (XXVII) of 11 December 1972. It functions as an international community of scholars engaged in research, postgraduate training and the dissemination of knowledge to address the pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations and its agencies. Its activities are devoted to advancing knowledge for human security and development and are focused on issues of peace and governance and environment and sustainable development. The Univer- sity operates through a worldwide network of research and training centres and programmes, and its planning and coordinating centre in Tokyo. National interest and international solidarity National interest and international solidarity: Particular and universal ethics in international life Edited by Jean-Marc Coicaud and Nicholas J. Wheeler United Nations a University Press TOKYO u NEW YORK u PARIS 6 United Nations University, 2008 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not nec- essarily reflect the views of the United Nations University. United Nations University Press United Nations University, 53-70, Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan Tel: þ81-3-3499-2811 Fax: þ81-3-3406-7345 E-mail: [email protected] general enquiries: [email protected] http://www.unu.edu United Nations University Office at the United Nations, New York 2 United Nations Plaza, Room DC2-2062, New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: þ1-212-963-6387 Fax: þ1-212-371-9454 E-mail: [email protected] United Nations University Press is the publishing division of the United Nations University. -
The Problem of Harm in World Politics: Theoretical Investigations Andrew Linklater Frontmatter More Information
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-00443-6 - The Problem of Harm in World Politics: Theoretical Investigations Andrew Linklater Frontmatter More information THE PROBLEM OF HARM IN WORLD POLITICS The need to control violent and non-violent harm has been central to human existence since societies first emerged. This book analyses the problem of harm in world politics which stems from the fact that societies require the power to harm in order to defend themselves from internal and external threats, but must also control the capacity to harm so that people cannot kill, injure, humiliate or exploit others as they please. Andrew Linklater analyses writings in moral and legal philosophy that define and classify forms of harm, and discusses the ways in which different theories of international relations suggest the power to harm can be controlled so that societies can co-exist with the minimum of violent and non-violent harm. Linklater argues for new connections between the English School study of international society and Norbert Elias’s analysis of civilizing process in order to advance the study of harm in world politics. andrew linklater is Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics at Aberystwyth University as well as a Fellow of the British Academy, a member of the Academy of Social Sciences, and a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales. He has published several major works on the theory of international relations including Critical Theory and World Politics (2007), The English School of International Relations (Cambridge, 2006, with Hidemi Suganami), The Transformation of Political Community (1998), Beyond Realism and Marxism (1990) and Men and Citizens in the Theory of International Relations (1982/1990). -
Foreign Policy and National Interest: Realism and Its Critiques
Foreign Policy and National Interest: Realism and Its Critiques Munafrizal Manan Universitas Al-Azhar Indonesia ABSTRACT Realism stated that conflict or even war among countries are acceptable in order to achieve national interest. Such a view has become the mainstream in international relations (IR) both theoretically and practically. But it does not mean that realist views are the best approach to discuss foreign policy and national interest. Liberalism and global humanism can be used as alternative approaches to discuss it. From the perspective of liberalism and global humanism, foreign policy is not only reflecting national interest, but also dealing with human and global interest. By focussing on the issues of economic globalization, democracy, human rights, and environment, the approaches of liberalism and global humanism show that these issues have now become a part of foreign policy and national interest of countries. It means that if it comes to human and global interests, then countries choose to cooperate globally rather than to involve in conflict or war. Keywords: Foreign Policy, National Interest, Realism, Liberalism, Humanism Global. Realisme memandang bahwa konflik dan bahkan perang dapat diterima dalam rangka mencapai kepentingan nasional. Pandangan seperti ini telah menjadi arus utama dalam hubungan internasional baik secara teoretis maupun praktis. Namun ini tidak berarti pandangan kaum realis adalah pendekatan terbaik untuk membahas kebijakan luar negeri dan kepentingan nasional. Liberalisme dan humanisme global dapat digunakan sebagai pendekatan alternatif untuk mendiskusikan hal tersebut. Dari perspektif liberalisme dan humanisme global, kebijakan luar negeri tidak hanya merefleksikan kepentingan nasional, tetapi juga berkaitan dengan kepentingan kemanusiaan dan global. Dengan fokus pada isu-isu globalisasi ekonomi, demokrasi, hak asasi manusia, dan lingkungan, pendekatan liberalisme dan humanisme global membuktikan bahwa isu-isu ini telah menjadi bagian dari kebijakan luar negeri dan kepentingan nasional negara- negara. -
The Moral Aporia of Race in International Relations by Drawing Attention to the Imperialism Embedded in Much Liberal Thought
IRE0010.1177/0047117819842275International RelationsLynch 842275research-article2019 Article International Relations 2019, Vol. 33(2) 267 –285 The moral aporia of race in © The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: international relations sagepub.com/journals-permissions https://doi.org/10.1177/0047117819842275DOI: 10.1177/0047117819842275 journals.sagepub.com/home/ire Cecelia Lynch University of California, Irvine Abstract Drawing on recent scholarship on race, post-colonialism, and ethics in the field of international relations, I return to the ‘first debate’ in the field regarding realism versus liberalism to highlight how racialized international political practices a century ago shaped theoretical assumptions, deferrals, and absences in ways that continued to resonate throughout the century. In reviewing several prominent periods of the past 100 years, I argue that (a) a powerful, ongoing moral aporia regarding race has marked the practice of international politics and the study of international relations over the century, despite important challenges and (b) it is critically important for the field as a whole to confront both the aporia and these challenges to understand its own moral precarity and to dent ongoing racialized injustices. Keywords aporia, colonialism, international politics, international relations, morality, race, racism Introduction: the aporia of (hidden) conviction1 My simple task in this contribution is to address and analyze morality in international relations (IR) over the past 100 years. I say ‘simple’, because the review process has poked a number of conceptual bears that each comprise layers and layers of assumptions about theories of international relations and practices of international politics (IP). Thoroughly investigating processes of socialization and resocialization in the field or discipline, and also providing openings to potentially new ontologies cannot be tackled in a single article, especially one that, according to the editors’ instructions, should make ‘big statements about critical themes’. -
Men and Citizens in the Theory of International Relations
MEN AND CITIZENS IN THE THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Andrew Linklater claims that our dominant traditions of political thought have failed to pay sufficient attention to the relationship between the obligations which men have been said to acquire as men, and the obligations by which they are bound as citizens of separate states. The first part of his book explains the reasons for the existence of a tension between obligations to men and citizens within the theory and practice of the modern state. Part Two explores the changing relationship between the ideas of citizenship and humanity in theories of political community and international relations since the seventeenth century. In a critical analysis of this changing relationship, the author concentrates particularly upon the writings of Pufen dorf, Vattel, Kant, Hegel and Marx. Part Three aims to establish the foundations of a new political theory of inter national relations. It locates the bases of that theory in nineteenth-century conceptions of the relationship between freedom and history. The argument concludes that the defence of a moral community more inclusive than the sovereign state is the necessary outcome of properly under standing man's unique capacity for self-determination. This book will be of special interest to students of political theory and international relations, and to all those concerned with the moral and philosophical problems of both domestic and international politics. Andrew Linklater is a lecturer in political thought, inter national politics and theories of international relations at the University of Tasmania. He was educated at the Universities of Aberdeen and Oxford and the London School of Economics. -
Constructivism and Ecological Thought: a Critical Discussion on the Prospects for a ‘Greening’ of IR Theory
Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 133–144 (2008) Constructivism and Ecological Thought: A Critical Discussion on the Prospects for a ‘Greening’ of IR Theory Sebastian MASLOW and Ayako NAKAMURA Graduate School of Information Sciences (GSIS), Tohoku University, Japan Received January 16, 2008; final version accepted January 29, 2008 The ecological crisis, most famously represented by the issues of global warming, stepped up the political agenda of policy-makers in the domestic and international arenas. Environmental degradation, such as transboundary pollution, states a challenge to the traditional thinking of democracy and sovereignty. In arguing that the environment is underrepresented in IR theory due to the notorious anthropocentric approach of the old paradigm of rationalism, we discuss prospects for a ‘greening’ of IR. Against this background, we attempt to discuss aspects of green political thought (GPT) in the context of IR. Here, we focus on the work of Robyn Eckersley, who argues for a re-invention of the liberal democratic state into an ecological democracy and thus for a ‘greening’ of the state within and outside the boundaries of statehood. ‘Greening’ here, we argue, requires a theoretical approach which takes identities and interests seriously. It is here that we base our discussion on the work of Alexander Wendt, who developed constructivism into a systematic theory in IR. We try to bring Wendt’s and Eckersley’s thought together and to offer some answers for the state of the current ecological crisis. Against this background we argue that nature is a paramount non-constructible structure and introduce the notion of eco- centrism. -
Elements That Impose Limits on International Ethics
A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Popa, Paul Article Elements that impose limits on international ethics CES Working Papers Provided in Cooperation with: Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Suggested Citation: Popa, Paul (2019) : Elements that impose limits on international ethics, CES Working Papers, ISSN 2067-7693, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Centre for European Studies, Iasi, Vol. 10, Iss. 4, pp. 423-437 This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/198554 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ www.econstor.eu CES Working Papers – Volume X, Issue 4 Elements that impose limits on international ethics Paul POPA* Abstract In order to function, the ethical norm creates a system, called and known as an ethical system. -
The Case for the Green Kant: a Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics
University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School February 2019 The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics Zachary T. Vereb University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, and the Other Philosophy Commons Scholar Commons Citation Vereb, Zachary T., "The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics" (2019). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7980 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics by Zachary T. Vereb A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy Department of Philosophy College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Martin Schönfeld, Ph.D. Toby Svoboda, Ph.D. Alexander Levine, Ph.D. Michael Morris, Ph.D. Joshua Rayman, Ph.D. Date of Approval: November 30, 2018 Keywords: Kantian Ethics, Environment, Climate Change, Sustainability Copyright © 2019, Zachary T. Vereb ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I thank Martin Schönfeld for his guidance and support throughout this entire project. This work would not be possible without him. I am incredibly thankful for the helpful comments, suggestions, and feedback from my advisors. -
SS395: Advanced International Relations Theory (International Security Studies) USMA Department of Social Sciences
SS395 Syllabus SS395: Advanced International Relations Theory (International Security Studies) USMA Department of Social Sciences Course Overview: In Introduction to International Relations (SS307/357), you explored the drivers of group behavior (or why people, organizations, and states “do what they do”) and the causes of conflict and cooperation in the international system. As a survey of the field, the introductory course exposed you to concepts, traditions, and theories from across the study of international relations or world politics.1 In SS395, we will closely examine one critical force that drives world politics—international security. The purpose of this course is to provide you a solid foundation in the field of international security studies, including a grasp of key concepts and case studies relevant to the field today and throughout history. In Block 1 (Foundational Concepts in International Security), we will explore how the field of international relations connects to the sub-field of international security studies. We will examine central concepts in the field of international security studies. We will focus on two key questions that we will address throughout the course: how do we define security and conflict? How do actors in the international system use force as a tool to achieve goals and influence others? In Block 2 (Theories of Conflict), we will explore one central question that will be central for your research paper: What causes conflict, and what prevents it? We will use Greg Cashman’s literature review on theories of conflict, entitled What Causes War? in order to apply theory to this central empirical question and cases. -
ECOLOGICAL CRISIS and HUMAN NATURE: the Green and Liberal
ECOLOGICAL CRISIS AND HUMAN NATURE: The Green and Liberal Approaches by Marta Nestaiko A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Political Science Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2003 © Marta Nestaiko 2003 I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii ABSTRACT The concept of human nature profoundly shapes our understanding of how political and social life ought to be organised. This thesis examines the concept of human nature developed by the Green political perspective and its impact on the Green understanding of economy, society and technology. By comparing the Green and Liberal concepts of human nature (and by extension their respective conceptualisation of society, economy and technology), it is argued that the roots of present day environmental crisis could be traced to the Liberal concept of human nature and the Liberal conceptualisation of the relationship between humanity and nature. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Richard Nutbrown for his expertise and help, and also my second reader Professor Sandra Burt for her guidance and insight. Without their input, this thesis would not have materialised as well as it did. I would also like to acknowledge the political science Graduate Secretary Carol Gray for her help and expertise in sorting out the “bureaucratic” requirements of completing the Master’s degree. -
Realist Theories
M02_GOLD0211_09_SE_C02.QXD 1/13/10 2:16 PM Page 42 CHAPTER 2 Realist Theories Israeli artillery firing on Gaza, 2009. M02_GOLD0211_09_SE_C02.QXD 1/13/10 2:16 PM Page 43 CHAPTER OUTLINE Realism No single theory reliably explains the wide range of international interactions, but Realism one theoretical framework has historically held a central position in the study of IR. Power This approach, called realism, is favored by some IR scholars and vigorously contested ■ Defining Power by others, but almost all take it into account. Realism’s foundation is the principle of ■ Estimating Power dominance; alternatives based on reciprocity and identity will be reviewed in ■ Elements of Power Chapters 3 and 4. The International System Realism (or political realism) is a school of thought that explains international ■ Anarchy and Sovereignty relations in terms of power. The exercise of power by states toward each other is some- ■ Balance of Power times called realpolitik, or just power politics. ■ Great Powers and Middle Modern realist theory developed in reaction to a liberal tradition that realists Powers called idealism (of course, idealists themselves do not consider their approach unrealis- ■ Power Distribution tic). Idealism emphasizes international law, morality, and international organizations, ■ Hegemony rather than power alone, as key influences on international events.1 Idealists think that ■ The Great Power System, human nature is basically good. They see the international system as one based on a 1500–2000 community of states that have the potential to work together to overcome mutual prob- Alliances lems (see Chapter 3). For idealists, the principles of IR must flow from morality.