Moral Purpose of the State

Culture, Social Identity, and Institutional Rationality in International Relations

AvChristian Reus-Smit

Häftad, Engelska, 2009

Del i serien Princeton Studies in International History and Politics

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Beskrivning

This book seeks to explain why different systems of sovereign states have built different types of fundamental institutions to govern interstate relations. Why, for example, did the ancient Greeks operate a successful system of third-party arbitration, while international society today rests on a combination of international law and multilateral diplomacy? Why did the city-states of Renaissance Italy develop a system of oratorical diplomacy, while the states of absolutist Europe relied on naturalist international law and "old diplomacy"? Conventional explanations of basic institutional practices have difficulty accounting for such variation. Christian Reus-Smit addresses this problem by presenting an alternative, "constructivist" theory of international institutional development, one that emphasizes the relationship between the social identity of the state and the nature and origin of basic institutional practices. Reus-Smit argues that international societies are shaped by deep constitutional structures that are based on prevailing beliefs about the moral purpose of the state, the organizing principle of sovereignty, and the norm of procedural justice.These structures inform the imaginations of institutional architects as they develop and adjust institutional arrangements between states. As he shows with detailed reference to ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, absolutist Europe, and the modern world, different cultural and historical contexts lead to profoundly different constitutional structures and institutional practices. The first major study of its kind, this book is a significant addition to our theoretical and empirical understanding of international relations, past and present.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2009-11-22
Mått:152 x 235 x 13 mm
Vikt:312 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Princeton Studies in International History and Politics
Antal sidor:216
Förlag:Princeton University Press
ISBN:9780691144351

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Christian Reus-Smit is Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. He is the editor, with Albert Paolini and Anthony Jarvis, of "Between Sovereignty and Global Governance: The United Nations, the State, and Civil Society".

Innehållsförteckning

List of Table and Figures ix Preface xi Introduction 3 Chapter One: The Enigma of Fundamental Institutions 12 Fundamental Institutions Defined 12 Existing Accounts of Fundamental Institutions 15 Summary 24 Chapter Two: The Constitutional Structure of International Society 26 Communicative Action and Institutional Construction 27 Sovereignty, State Identity, and Political Action 29 Constitutional Structures 30 Fundamental Institutional Production and Reproduction 33 The Purposive Foundations of International Society 36 Summary 39 Chapter Three: Ancient Greece 40 Ancient Greece as a State of War 41 Extraterritorial Institutions in Ancient Greece 44 The Constitutional Structure of Ancient Greece 45 The Practice of Interstate Arbitration 49 Hegemonic Power, Rational Choice, Territorial Rights? 52 Rereading Thucydides 54 Conclusion 61 Chapter Four: Renaissance Italy 63 The Italian City-States 65 Images of Renaissance Diplomacy 67 The Constitutional Structure of Renaissance Italy 70 The Practice of Oratorical Diplomacy 77 Conclusion 84 Chapter Five: Absolutist Europe 87 Westphalia and the Genesis of Modern Institutions? 89 Absolutism, Political Authority, and State Identity 92 The Constitutional Structure of the Absolutist Society of States 94 The Fundamental Institutions of Absolutist International Society 101 Generative Grammar, Institutional Practices, and Territoriality 110 Conclusion 120 Chapter Six: Modern International Society 122 From Holism to Individualism 123 The Constitutional Structure of Modern International Society 127 The Fundamental Institutions of Modern International Society 131 Conclusion 152 Chapter Seven: Conclusion 155 The Nature of Sovereignty 157 The Ontology of Institutional Rationality 159 The Dimensions of International Systems Change 162 The Richness of Holistic Constructivism 165 The Contribution to Critical International Theory 168 A Final Word on Aristotle 170 Bibliography 171 Index 193