International Relations and the Limits of Political Theory

This book presents a progress report upon the author's thinking on the relations and political theory. The first five chapters are framed as conventional essays on political theory, dealing with such issues as Kant the Protestant Ethic, Nietzsche and Fascism, Haberma's new theory of right, democracy and Hegel's political writings. yet as these themes are developed the essays pass over into the wider concerns of international order and world community. The final five chapters deal directly with problems of international political theory, looking at Grotius and then Locke's theories of society and internattional order; Kant and Hegel; on political philosophy and world history; nationalism and justice; and finally at the possible reconstruction of political theory in the light of international imperatives. The author's objective is to demonstrate how and why the valuable and powerful tradition and practices of political theroy can be turned towards international issues. He does this by examining closely the ideas of key past and present political thinkers. One valuble strand of political theory has been state-centred but this is not the sole focus of politcial theory nor is it the most fruitful one in today's independent world. A critical examination of both past and present political theory demonstrates that it is also international political theory.