International Relations Theory: New Normative Approaches

Do states have the right to be left to their own devices even if this means accepting that innocent people may suffer persecution? Or should the international community intervene, risking the charge of imperialism? Can war be waged justly, or was General Sherman right when he said "War is cruelty and you cannot refine it"? Do people in poor countries have a claim of justice against the rich world, or are they dependent on the charity of the privileged? These are the sorts of normative questions examined in International Relations Theory: New Normative Approaches. Its focus is on the studies which bridge modern political philosophy and international relations theory - fields which, until quite recently, have been looked at in isolation from each other, despite the interest in international relations displayed by such seminal thinkers as Kant, Hegel, Bentham, and Mill. Part I looks at "cosmopolitan" and "communitarian" thinkers of the past, and examines the reasons why much of their legacy was lost in the first part of this century. Part II looks at the moral autonomy of the state, the ethics of international violence, and international distributive justice. Part III, examines critical and postmodern international relations theory. By applying the work of political philosophers to normative international issues, this unique book will interest students and researchers in modern political theory, international relations, international political philosophy, and the theory of international law.