16. Critical Approaches to Global Politics

18. Critical Approaches to Global Politics

Introduction to Politics ◽

10.1093/hepl/9780198820611.003.0018 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 408-436

Author(s):

Stephanie Lawson

Keyword(s):

System Theory ◽

Critical Theory ◽

Postcolonial Theory ◽

Karl Marx ◽

Frankfurt School ◽

Global Politics ◽

Major Influence ◽

Critical Approaches ◽

Friedrich Engels

This chapter examines seven critical approaches to global politics: Marxism, Critical Theory, constructivism, feminism, postmodernism, postcolonial theory, and green theory. In their book The Manifesto of the Communist Party, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels address the implications for global order of the rise of capitalism and the role of the bourgeoisie as controllers of capital. Their ideas have had a major influence on critical approaches to virtually all aspects of both domestic and global politics. The chapter considers some major strands of Marxist-influenced theory of direct relevance to global politics, including dependency theory, world-system theory, Gramscian theory, and Frankfurt School theory. It also discusses gender theory and compares postmodern/poststructural approaches to global politics with Critical Theory and constructivism in International Relations.

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16. Introducing Global Politics

Introduction to Politics ◽

10.1093/hepl/9780198820611.003.0016 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 364-385

Author(s):

Stephanie Lawson

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

State System ◽

Global Politics ◽

Modern State ◽

Global Order ◽

Field Of Study ◽

European State ◽

Globalizing World ◽

State Actors

This chapter discusses global politics in relation to the phenomenon of globalization. ‘Global politics’ as a field of study encompasses the traditional concerns of International Relations with how states interact under conditions of anarchy, but lays greater emphasis on the role of non-state actors and processes in a globalizing world. The chapter first provides an overview of politics in a globalizing world before explaining the basic distinctions between ‘state’ and ‘nation’ in the context of contemporary global politics. It then considers the variation in state forms and the phenomenon of empire throughout history as well as the historical emergence of the modern state and state system in Europe along with ideas about sovereignty and nationalism against the background of ‘modernity’. It also examines the effective globalization of the European state system through modern imperialism and colonialism and the extent to which these have been productive of contemporary global order.

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On the theopolitics of sovereignty: Carl Schmitt and the theopolitics of global orders

Review of International Studies ◽

10.1017/s0260210520000054 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (5) ◽

pp. 691-712

Author(s):

Thomas Moore

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Historical Sociology ◽

World Politics ◽

Global Politics ◽

Carl Schmitt ◽

Global Order ◽

Critical Approaches

AbstractThis article considers how we can develop a reflexive reading of the theological contours of global politics through Carl Schmitt's account of sovereignty. In doing this it seeks to generate a critical architecture to understand the pluralistic registers of sovereignty within world politics. This article examines the theological dimensions of sovereignty, calling for a closer reading of the theopolitical discourses of legality and legitimacy at work within the largely secular discipline of International Relations. Tracing the pluralistic dimensions of sovereignty – juristic, popular, and theopolitical – allows us to see how sovereignty is operationalised through a range of distinct political registers. When the study of sovereignty is confused with questions of preference for modes of governing (whether secular, religious, democratic, and/or juristic) the complex historical sociology of sovereignty is overlooked. Contemporary scholarship in International Relations can benefit from closer engagement with the multiple, overlapping registers of sovereignty in global politics. We may disagree with Schmitt's reading of sovereignty as ‘theopolitics’ but there is real methodological value in engaging secular scholarship in thinking about religion as a constitutive domain for global order – alongside a rich range of critical approaches.

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14. Introducing Global Politics

10.1093/hepl/9780198704386.003.0015 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie Lawson

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

State System ◽

Global Politics ◽

Modern State ◽

Global Order ◽

Field Of Study ◽

European State ◽

Globalizing World ◽

State Actors

This chapter discusses global politics in relation to the phenomenon of globalization. ‘Global politics’ as a field of study encompasses the traditional concerns of International Relations with how states interact under conditions of anarchy, but lays greater emphasis on the role of non-state actors and processes in a globalizing world. The chapter first provides an overview of politics in a globalizing world before explaining the basic distinctions between ‘state’ and ‘nation’ in the context of contemporary global politics. It then considers the variation in state forms and the phenomenon of empire throughout history as well as the historical emergence of the modern state and state system in Europe along with ideas about sovereignty and nationalism against the background of ‘modernity’. It also examines the effective globalization of the European state system through modern imperialism and colonialism and the extent to which these have been productive of contemporary global order.

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Critique and Alternativity in International Relations

International Studies Review ◽

10.1093/isr/viy065 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 678-704 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gëzim Visoka

Keyword(s):

Critical Theory ◽

International Relations ◽

Global Politics ◽

Conflict Studies ◽

Future Directions ◽

Critical Knowledge ◽

Peace And Conflict Studies ◽

Peace And Conflict ◽

Critical Approaches ◽

The Relationship

Abstract This article critically interrogates the episteme of alternativity in international relations (IR) to rethink the purpose of critical knowledge in global politics. It questions what critical knowledge is for and whose purpose it serves. While alternativity is the very condition that has given rise to critical approaches, there is a deep-rooted division among critical scholars regarding the relationship between criticality and alternativity. This article argues that alternativity provides an opportunity for critical scholars to remain relevant without being affiliated with positivist logics of inquiry. In examining the potential of alternativity, the article explores three modes of alternativity in peace and conflict studies: critique-without-alternative, critique-as-alternative, and critique-with-alternative. It probes the merits and limits of the episteme of alternativity in generating new possibilities for advancing emancipatory interests and saving critical theory from losing its original transformative impetus. In the final part, the article explores future directions for rejuvenating the purpose of critique by exploring the nexus between criticality and alternativity on postparadigmatic and practical grounds.

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Energy as an Instrument in Global Politics

The Oxford Handbook of Energy Politics ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190861360.013.12 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 291-319

Author(s):

Lior Herman

Keyword(s):

Foreign Policy ◽

International Relations ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Policy Instruments ◽

Global Politics ◽

Energy Sources ◽

Sovereign Wealth Funds ◽

The World ◽

Oil And Natural Gas

Oil and natural gas have frequently been used as instruments of foreign policy. While scholars have given substantial attention to the economics of exports and imports, much less has been paid to theorizing how energy can be its own type of carrot or stick, influencing international relations around the world. Future scholarship should focus on developing foreign policy theories specific to energy, including renewable energy sources and drawing on constructivist theories. In addition, the role of transit states, energy firms, sovereign wealth funds, and civil society should be more carefully theorized. Future theoretical and empirical research should also focus on the use of electricity and renewable energies as foreign policy instruments and their effects on global politics.

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Choosing anarchy: institutional alternatives and the global order

International Theory ◽

10.1017/s1752971913000304 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 28-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Moonhawk Kim ◽

Scott Wolford

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

International Institutions ◽

International System ◽

International Relations Theory ◽

Third Party ◽

Global Order ◽

Political Units ◽

Self Enforcement ◽

Interaction Density

The international system may be anarchic, but anarchy is neither fixed nor inevitable. We analyze collective choices between anarchy, a system of inefficient self-enforcement, and external enforcement, where punishment is delegated to a third party at some upfront cost. In equilibrium, external enforcement (establishing governments) prevails when interaction density is high, the costs of integration are low, and violations are difficult to predict, but anarchy (drawing borders) prevails when at least one of these conditions fail. We explore the implications of this theory for the causal role of anarchy in international relations theory, the integration and disintegration of political units, and the limits and possibilities of cooperation through international institutions.

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Beyond the BRICS: Power, Pluralism, and the Future of Global Order

Ethics & International Affairs ◽

10.1017/s0892679418000126 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 89-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Andrew Hurrell

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Early Years ◽

First Century ◽

Global Politics ◽

Rising Powers ◽

Global Order ◽

Story Line ◽

Global System ◽

The Core ◽

Emerging Powers

AbstractIn the early years of the twenty-first century the narrative of “emerging powers” and “rising powers” seemed to provide a clear and powerful picture of how international relations and global politics were changing. Yet dramatic changes in the global system have led many to conclude that the focus on the BRICS and the obsession with the idea of rising powers reflected a particular moment in time that has now passed. The story line is now about backlash at the core; and, with the exception of China, rising powers have returned to their role as secondary or supporting actors in the drama of global politics. Such a conclusion is profoundly mistaken for three sets of reasons: the continued reality of the post-Western global order; the need to understand nationalist backlash as a global phenomenon; and the imperative of locating and strengthening a new pluralist conception of global order.

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TRANSFORMATION OF THE SYSTEM OF THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN POST COVID-19 PERIOD

International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science ◽

10.31435/rsglobal_ijitss/30032021/7486 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Karine Khojayan

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

International System ◽

World Order ◽

Global Politics ◽

Political Realism ◽

Dominant Position ◽

Global Affairs ◽

Global World ◽

The Impact

The article analyses possible scenarios of global world order followed by the outbreak of COVID-19. It assesses to what extend the pandemic will impact the process of transformation of the system of international relations and discusses possible scenario of the global politics for post-COVID period. The article suggests that the expected outcome of the pandemic will be bi-polar world order, which will much differ from the system of the International Relations of Cold War period. The impact of COVID-19 on ongoing processes will be tangible. In the meanwhile, bearing in mind emerging neorealistic tendencies, enhancing role of states as pivotal actors of international system and current level of global inter-dependence, the international relations cannot return to the epoch where political realism had dominant position in global affairs. The article concludes that the pandemic will not drastically change the international order, but it will decently accelerate international processes, started years ago.

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A pragmatic methodology for studying international practices

Journal of International Political Theory ◽

10.1177/1755088219879177 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 175508821987917

Author(s):

Sasikumar S Sundaram ◽

Vineet Thakur

Keyword(s):

Critical Theory ◽

Social Science ◽

International Relations ◽

International Politics ◽

Science Inquiry ◽

Analytical Framework ◽

Semantic Field ◽

Central Thesis ◽

Practice Turn

Practice turn marks an important advancement in International Relations theorizing. In challenging abstract meta-theoretical debates, practice theorizing in International Relations aims to get close to the lifeworld(s) of the actual practitioners of politics. Scholars from different positions such as constructivism, critical theory, and post-structuralism have critically interrogated the analytical framework of practices in international politics. Building upon these works, we are concerned with a question of how to examine the context of international practices that unfolds in multiple ways in practitioners’ performances. Our central thesis is that a distinct pragmatic methodology offers an opportunity to keep with the practice turn and avoid the problematic foundational moves of mainstream practice theorizing. This involves foregrounding three interrelated processes in examining practices: the role of exceptions in the normal stream of performances, normative uptake of the analysts, and the semantic field that actors navigate in political performances. We argue that this methodology is predicated on its usefulness to interpret practices through reflective social-science inquiry.

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