Principled World Politics: The Challenge of Normative International Relations

Principled World Politics takes stock of contemporary normative international relations and aims to chart the future course of the discipline. The volume brings together the most innovative minds currently working in the field and presents their ideas of how to create a more humane world order. Renowned scholars from around the world explain how to advance the prospects of world peace, economic well-being, social justice, and humane governance. They further examine the changing character of normative theory and how it can more effectively engage contemporary world affairs. As normative IR enjoys a resurgence of interest, this unique and timely volume is the first to systematically organize and present contemporary scholarship and to set out a coherent agenda for the next century.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Resurgence and Metamorphosis of Normative International Relations: Principled Commitment and Scholarship in a New Millennium Part 3 Critical Perspectives on International Relations Chapter 4 Both Globalization and Sovereignty: Re-Imagining the Political Chapter 5 Normative and Complexity Theories: Complementary Approaches to World Affairs Chapter 6 Theory and Political Practice: Reflections on Theory Building in International Relations Chapter 7 The Uncertain Reach of Critical Theory Part 8 Social Justice Chapter 9 Global Economic Inequalities: A Growing Moral Gap Chapter 10 Social Justice: Growing Consciousness, Receding Prospects Chapter 11 Collective Identity, Social Movements, and the Limits of Political Dissent in Israel Chapter 12 Ecological Balance in an Era of Globalization Part 13 Economic Well-Being Chapter 14 Markets, Private Property, and the Possibility of Democracy Chapter 15 Reconceptualizing Global Poverty: Globalization, Marginalization, and Gender Chapter 16 The Asian Financial Crisis: Heroes, Villians, and Accomplices Chapter 17 Global Backlash: Citizen Initiatives to Counter Corporate-Led Globalization Part 18 Peace Chapter 19 Enforcing Norms and Normalizing Enforcement for Humane Governance Chapter 20 The Underside of Peace: Reflections on Aum Shinrikyo Chapter 21 An Axial Age? Imagining Peace for the New Millennium Chapter 22 From a Twentieth Century of War to a Twenty-First Century of Peace? Part 23 Humane Governance Chapter 24 The Normative Promise of Nonstate Actors: A Theoretical Account of Global Civil Society Chapter 25 Technological Underdevelopment in the South: The Continuing Cold War Chapter 26 Governance, Legitimacy, and Security: Three Scenarios for the Twenty-First Century Chapter 27 The Age of Relativization: Toward a Twenty-First Century of Active Civil Society Part 28 Conclusion Chapter 29 The Emergence of WOMP in the Normative Tradition: Biography and Theory Chapter 30 Culture, Politics, and the Sense of the Ethical: Challenges for Normative International Relations Part 31 Bibliography Part 32 Index Part 33 About the Contributors

About the Author :
Paul Wapner teaches in the School of International Service at American University. Lester Edwin J. Ruiz teaches at New York Theological Seminary.

Review :
This study shoud be a part of academic libraries with strong holdings in international ethics. Recommended. Scholars and students should read this book. . . . lively and well-written. The list of contributors is indeed impressive. . . . the generous spirit that animates this book. This interesting, varied scientific book will be useful for people interested in approaches, analyses and alternative, innovative proposals for tackling issues of international politics and global governance in the twenty-first century. There is always a normative perspective in analyses of human affairs, sometimes explicit but often hidden under a claim to value-free research. This book is a dialogue among scholars who, in the spirit of Richard Falk, aim to further social justice, ecological balance, and recogniton of cultural diversity. They recognize that such goals can only be pursued effectively through a realistic analysis of the limits of the possible.