BEYOND REALISM AND MARXISM Also by Andrew Linklater * MEN AND CITIZENS IN THE THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS NEW DIMENSIONS IN WORLD POLITICS (editor with G. Goodwin) * Also published by Palgrave Macmillan BEYOND REALISM ANDMARXISM Critical Theory and International Relations Andrew Linklater Senior Lecturer in Politics Monash University Clayton, Victoria, Australia M MACMILLAN © Andrew Linklater 1990 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions ofthe Copyright Act 1956 (as amended), or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 33 -4 Alfred Place, London WClE 7DP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 1990 Published by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS andLondon Companies and representatives throughout the world British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Linklater, Andrew Beyond realism and Marxism: critical theory and international relations. 1. Foreign relations. Theories 327.1'01 ISBN 978-0-333-51720-8 ISBN 978-0-230-37454-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230374546 Contents Acknowledgements vü INTRODUCTION 1 1 POWER, ORDER AND EMANCIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL THEORY 8 Realism : Freedom and Necessity 10 Rationalism: Order and Justice 15 Revolutionism and Critical Social Theory 21 The Critical Turn in International Theory 27 2 MARX AND THE LOGIC OF UNIVERSAL EMANCIPATION 34 History as an Ascent to Universality 35 Capitalism and Universality 41 The Particular and The Universal 45 3 THE NA nON AND THE SPECIES 55 The Austro-Marxists and Their Critics 58 Nation, State and Uneven Development 67 Nationalism and Critical International Theory 73 4 CLASS, STATE AND NATION IN THE THEORY OF CAPITALIST IMPERIALISM 76 The Question of Interpretation 81 The Question of Colonialism 86 5 MARXIST AND NEO-MARXIST THEORIES OF INEQUALITY AND DEVELOPMENT 97 Power, Order and Inequality 99 The Concept of Dependency 101 The World-Systems Approach to Inequality 107 Mode of Production, Class and State 112 vi Contents 6 THE STATES-SYSTEM AND THE WORLD- SYSTEM 119 The Idea of the Capitalist World Economy 121 Political Dynamies of the Capitalist World Economy 125 The Question of the State and Geopolities 130 7 CLASS AND STATE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 140 The Absolutist State 143 The Capitalist State 148 The Counter-Hegemonie State 159 CONCLUSIONS 165 Notes and References 173 Select Bibliography 196 Index 202 Acknowledgements Research for this book began at the point where an earlier work left off. The book in question, Men and Citizens in the Theory 0/ International Relations, wh ich was published by Macmillan in 1982, presented a philosophical defence of ethical universalism. There was no scope within that work to deal with the empirical question of how moral communities have expanded (and contracted) in the past. But abrief section on Marx's analysis of this subject led me to think that it would be profitable to begin by surveying Marxism with this theme in mind. As my research proceeded it became necessary to take account of two important developments in the literature. In international relations, first of all, Marxism was invoked in an attempt to add the call for critical theory to earlier arguments for a political economy of international relations. In sociology a rather different trend drew upon realism to highlight the inadequacies of Marxism as a critical theory of society. The significance of these two developments - the Marxist, or Marxist­ inspired, critique of realism in international relations, and the "realist" critique of Marxism in sociology - then became the main reason for writing this book. I have incurred many debts in the process. Monash University granted me six months sabbatical from the middle of 1984 to concentrate on research for the present work. Most of this period was spent at the Centre for International Studies at The London School of Economics. I am grateful to the Centre for providing numerous facilities and a congenial environment. It was my good fortune to visit the London School of Economics at the same time as Hidemi Suganami from Keele University. As in the past, I derived immense benefit from his perceptive comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. I would also like to thank Kenneth Waltz for several stimulating discussions and for his generosity during my visit to Berkeley in the early part of 1985. Several colleagues at Monash University have provided the right blend of criticism and encouragement. Ian Bell, Tony Jarvis and Peter Lawler taught in the course which was the main vehicle for the development of the themes set out below. Each of them helped me to shape my argument. Pet er Lawler in particular has been a valued source of encouragement and viii Acknowledgements advice. Students in my third year seminar, Problems in International Political Economy, contributed their enthusiasm and the vital ingredients of debate and discussion. Finally, without Tony Jarvis and Aubrey Townsend I could not have acquired my admittedly tenous grip on the world of ward processing; and without Pauline Bakker's humour and expertise the manuscript would have taken much longer to complete. A.L. November 1988 Melbourne .