Moral Vision in International Politics

Moral Vision in International Politics PDF

Author: David Halloran Lumsdaine

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 1993-02-14

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13: 9780691027678

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This investigation of the evolving foreign aid policies of 18 developed nations challenges conventional international relations theory and explains how ethical commitments and humanitarian convictions can help to structure global politics.

Do Morals Matter?

Do Morals Matter? PDF

Author: Joseph S. Nye

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0190935960

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What is the role of ethics in American foreign policy? The Trump Administration has elevated this from a theoretical question to front-page news. Should ethics even play a role, or should we only focus on defending our material interests? In Do Morals Matter? Joseph S. Nye provides a concise yet penetrating analysis of how modern American presidents have-and have not-incorporated ethics into their foreign policy. Nye examines each presidency during theAmerican era post-1945 and scores them on the success they achieved in implementing an ethical foreign policy. Alongside this, he evaluates their leadership qualities, explaining which approaches work and which ones do not.

The Moral Purpose of the State

The Moral Purpose of the State PDF

Author: Christian Reus-Smit

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2009-11-02

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1400823250

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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.

Duties Beyond Borders

Duties Beyond Borders PDF

Author: Stanley Hoffmann

Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Published: 1981-04-01

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 9780815601685

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Can moral behavior exist in a world of states? Under what conditions? Where if at all, do norms for moral behavior, considerations of right and wrong, fit int the relations between states? Drawing upon many historical examples, Stanley Hoffmann examines the complex questions of whether or not ethical action is possible in international politics and, if it is, what are the obstacles and constraints? Duties Beyond Borders tries to answer these questions and to suggest a course of “ethical politics” based on a pragmatic, realistic approach to international politics.

Ethics and International Politics

Ethics and International Politics PDF

Author: Luigi Bonanate

Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 9781570030765

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In this study of an issue that has moved to the forefront of international relations, Luigi Bonanate challenges the realist argument that relations between states are essentially amoral and governed exclusively by considerations of power and self-interest. He argues instead for the possibility of a moral theory of international life and, in doing so, lays a foundation for making moral assessments of international politics.

Ethics and International Relations

Ethics and International Relations PDF

Author: Joel H. Rosenthal

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 547

ISBN-13: 1351939017

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This volume offers a new dimension to realist theories about world politics. It questions both the theoretical and empirical foundations of much of traditional realist thought by offering realist-oriented analyses that emphasize the possibilities of cooperation and accommodation through agreement over common motivations and concerns. The articles in this volume demonstrate that moral considerations can and do play a significant role in shaping state behavior and that despair about the possibility of improving the systems and institutions within which we live is unwarranted. Specific points of normative convergence are raised in some detail, especially on issues of war, membership and authority, humanitarian concern and the social consequences of globalization. Three ethical concepts form the core of the 'realism reconsidered' argued for here, namely, the ideas of pluralism, rights and fairness.

The Moral Standing of the State in International Politics

The Moral Standing of the State in International Politics PDF

Author: Milla Emilia Vaha

Publisher: University of Wales Press

Published: 2021-07-15

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1786837870

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Kant’s moral and political philosophy has been important in developing ethical thinking in international relations. This study argues that his theory of the state is crucially important for understanding the moral agency of the state as it is discussed in contemporary debates. For Kant, it is argued that the state has not only duties but also, controversially, inalienable rights that ground its relationship to its citizens and to other states. Most importantly, the state – regardless of its governmental form or factual behaviour – has a right to exist as a state. The Kantian account provided, therefore, explores not only the moral agency but also the moral standing of the state, examining the status of different kinds of states in world politics and expectations towards their ethical behaviour. Every state has a moral standing that must be respected in a morally imperfect world gradually transforming towards the ideal condition of perpetual peace.

International Ethics

International Ethics PDF

Author: Mark R. Amstutz

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 9780742556041

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A fourth edition of this book is now available. Now in a comprehensively revised and updated edition, this text cogently demonstrates that moral values and ethical reasoning are indispensable in global politics. Mark R. Amstutz explores two distinct dimensions of international political morality: the role of moral norms in foreign affairs and the ethical foundation of the rules and structures of global society. The author considers important conceptual and philosophical challenges posed by the plurality of values in the international community, but his primary goal is to describe and assess the nature, role, and impact of international political morality on international relations. Through the use of balanced arguments and a wide-ranging selection of case studies, Amstutz illustrates the place of moral norms in international relations. He presents the concepts, theories, methods, and traditions of ethical analysis and then applies them to case studies in the areas of political reconciliation, human rights, war, unconventional military operations, foreign intervention, economic sanctions, justice among states, and global justice. His clearly written study will be of special interest to students and practitioners of international affairs who are concerned with the role of political morality and ethical judgment in global affairs.

Justice Among Nations

Justice Among Nations PDF

Author: Thomas L. Pangle

Publisher: University Press of Kansas

Published: 1999-06-30

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 0700612211

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Thomas Pangle and Peter Ahrensdorf provide a critical introduction to the most important conceptions of international justice, spanning 2,500 years of intellectual history from Thucydides and Plato to Morgenthau and Waltz. Their study shows how older traditions of political philosophy remain relevant to current debates in international relations, and how political thinkers through the centuries can help us deepen our understanding of today's stalemate between realism and idealism. Pangle and Ahrensdorf guide the reader through a sequence of theoretical frameworks for understanding the moral basis of international relations: the cosmopolitan vision of the classical philosophers, the "just war" teachings of medieval theologians, the revolutionary realism of Machiavelli, the Enlightenment idealism of Kant, and the neo-realism of twentieth-century theorists. They clarify the core of each philosopher's conceptions of international relations, examine the appeal of each position, and bring these alternatives into mutually illuminating juxtaposition. The authors clearly show that appreciating the fundamental questions pursued by these philosophers can help us avoid dogmatism, abstraction, or oversimplification when considering the moral character of international relations. Justice Among Nations restores the study of the great works of political theory to its natural place within the discipline of international relations as it retrieves the question of international justice as a major theme of political philosophy. It provides our moral compass with new points of orientation and invites serious readers to grapple with some of the most perplexing issues of our time.

International Political Theory

International Political Theory PDF

Author: Kimberly Hutchings

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 1999-11-03

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1473946158

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`A lucid, comprehensive analysis of normative approaches to international relations, and an original contribution to critical theory′ - Andrew Linklater, University of Keele `Hutchings combines a valuable account of the current state of the art with a lucid expositon of her own, highly distinctive, position. This will be required reading for students in international political theory, and indeed anyone interested in normative issues in international relations′ - Chris Brown, London School of Economics and Political Science Providing an invaluable overview of the competing schools of thought in traditional and contemporary international theory, this book seeks to path the way forward for new ways of thinking about international political morality. First, the role and place of normative theory in the study of international politics is explained before a discussion of mainstream approaches within international relations and applied ethics. Here the student is introduced to the central debates between realists and idealists, and cosmopolitans and communitarians. Second, the conceptual challenges of contemporary approaches in critical theory, postmodernism and feminism are outlined and then used as a platform to develop the author′s own Hegelian-Foucauldian approach for doing normative international theory. Third, the insights drawn from each approach are applied to the study of two key topics in contemporary theoretical debate: the right to self-determination, and the idea of cosmopolitan democracy, and conclusions drawn for transcending the theoretical deadlock in international relations. Accessibly written and wide-ranging, this text will quickly become essential reading for all students and academics of politics and international relations seeking a deeper understanding of the underlying tensions and future potential of international theory today.