Classical Theories of International Relations

Description

Drawing on a tripartite taxonomy first suggested by the so-called English School of International Relations of a Hobbesian tradition of power politics, a Grotian tradition of concern with the rules that govern relations between states; and a Kantian tradition of thinking which transcends the existence of the states system, this book discusses the thinking of central political theorists about the modern states system. Thinkers covered are Hobbes, Grotius, Kant, Vitoria, Rousseau, Smith, Burke, Hegel, Gentz and Vattel. Front Matter....Pages i-xi Traditions of Thought and Classical Theories of International Relations....Pages 1-19 Hobbes, the State of Nature and the Laws of Nature....Pages 20-41 Grotius, Law, and Moral Scepticism: Theory and Practice in the Thought of Hedley Bull....Pages 42-70 Kant: Theorist beyond Limits....Pages 71-98 Vitoria and the Universalist Conception of International Relations....Pages 99-119 Desperately Clinging to Grotian and Kantian Sheep: Rousseau’s Attempted Escape from the State of War....Pages 120-141 Adam Smith and the Liberal Tradition in International Relations....Pages 142-172 Edmund Burke and the Commonwealth of Europe: The Cultural Bases of International Order....Pages 173-192 Hegel, the State and International Relations....Pages 193-209 Friedrich Gentz, Rationalism and the Balance of Power....Pages 210-232 Vattel: Pluralism and Its Limits....Pages 233-255 Conclusion....Pages 256-262 Back Matter....Pages 263-267