A Subjective Approach to International Relations: The Battle for Meaning

China’s growing power and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have thrust geopolitics back to the centre of the global stage, but the old frameworks of international relations, with their positivist methods and their emphasis on structural determinants, will not enable us to understand the increasingly dangerous world in which we are living today. Bertrand Badie argues that states and the many other actors now operating in the international arena are products of their cultural contexts and political traditions. Their perspectives and motivations are profoundly subjective in character and are shaped by the narratives, memories and emotions that constitute people’s everyday realities. In Badie’s view, international disputes in the twenty-first century are best understood through the concept of the ‘battle for meaning’, confrontations between different modes of understanding the world. His judgement is that peace and stability depend on greater sensitivity to the worldviews of other actors in the international arena. A willingness to try to see the world from the perspective of one’s friends, rivals and even one’s enemies is vital. This timely and engaging book by one of the world’s leading scholars of international relations will be of great interest to students and scholars in politics and IR and to anyone concerned about the growing tensions in the world today.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Chapter 1. The return of geopolitics: a nostalgic illusion or a recurrent error?    The foundational times of geopolitics    Is geopolitics outdated?    Geographic renewal Chapter 2.   The two international scenes and their multiple meanings          A short subjective history of the international arena The semantic ambiguity of the international system: the perpetual conflict of meaning     The two systems: the system in theory and the system in practice Chapter 3.   Four questions that have become fundamental      The identity of the actor is no longer a simple question      Thinking about the ‘Other’      The construction of the context      What fusion of horizons? Chapter 4. Rethinking the international agenda     The unavoidable battle for recognition     The confusion of contexts     Diplomacy has many meanings     The semantic clash of powers A tentative conclusion: the looming battles for meaning Notes

About the Author :
Bertrand Badie is Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po, Paris.

Review :
"Bertrand Badie is one of France’s leading authorities on international relations. In this short but incisive book he shows that, while material trends matter, they are always subject to battles over meaning. His subtlety and effortless interdisciplinarity make his account valuable for students and scholars alike." Christopher Hill, University of Cambridge "Badie offers a radical and compelling challenge to realists and constructivists alike. He makes the case that serious attention to the values and practices of different actors  can promote a more useful understanding of the fragility of international society and its ordering. International relations should be not a science of power or a study of constitution but, rather, a hermeneutic sociology of relationships." Ned Lebow, Dartmouth College