Polite Anarchy in International Relations Theory 2012th Edition

“An innovative and significant contribution to international political theory that demonstrates the liberating possibility of anarchy. Toward this end, Kazmi mobilizes Godwin’s concept of politeness and develops a constructivist account of state behavior.” – Richard Ned Lebow, Professor of International Political Theory, War Studies, King’s College London

“Kazmi provides the first sustained analysis of William Godwin’s contribution to theories of international and inter-state relations as well as a lucid and penetrating account of the wider issues often ignored in the secondary literature, namely how such relations can be conceived within a broadly ‘anarchist’ context. The result is a sophisticated marriage of IR theory with a nuanced historical account of British political thought in the 1790s.” – Gregory Claeys, Professor of History, Royal Holloway, University of London

“Kazmi’s fine book is a scrupulous and lucid account of one of Britain’s most important eighteenth-century political writers. Polite Anarchy is a marvellous fusion of archival research and political theory, illuminated by historical and literary context. It is a provocative work of intellectual history which adds further resonance to the growing interest in Godwin’s thought and writings.” – David O’Shaughnessy, Assistant Professor in Eighteenth-Century Studies, Trinity College Dublin

“By tracing the origins of notions of anarchy, sociability and liberty, Zaheer Kazmi demonstrates that careful scholarship in the history of the ideas can radically change our attitudes to the core concepts of international relations theory. It is a bold and original study that will demand wide attention in the field.” – Marc Stears, Professor of Political Theory, University of Oxford

“Kazmi offers one of the best recent historical accounts of Godwin’s political thought” – David Armitage, Perspectives on Politics