At what point can we concede that the realities of world politics require that moral principles be compromised, and how do we know when a real ethical limit has been reached? This volume gathers leading constructivist scholars to explore the issue of moral limit and possibility in global political dilemmas. The contributors examine pressing ethical challenges such as sanctions, humanitarian intervention, torture, the self-determination of indigenous peoples, immigration, and the debate about international criminal tribunals and amnesties in cases of atrocity. Their analyses entail theoretical and empirical claims about the conditions of possibility and limits of moral change in world politics, therefore providing insightful leverage on the ethical question of ‘what ought we to do?’ This is a valuable contribution to the growing field of normative theory in International Relations and will appeal to scholars and advanced students of international ethics and political theory.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘Forcefully arguing for the reintegration of ethics and international relations theory, this volume challenges all scholars of international relations to consider how their ethical claims inform standard theoretical concerns and how theoretical positions advance implicit and explicit ethical claims. Importantly, the contributors to the volume scrutinize their own positions as well as others, and do so through careful empirical analysis. This volume provides an important statement regarding what international relations used to be and still can be.’ Michael N. Barnett, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
‘Contributors to this outstanding collection of essays were asked to respond to the often-repeated criticism that constructivists travel light when it comes to ethical commitments. This charge may have been sustainable previously; it is certainly not now. Moral Limit and Possibility in World Politics makes an extremely persuasive case for constructivism’s contribution to normative theorising. The editor, in particular, is to be commended for rolling out a set of inter-related themes which give the book a unity and coherence seldom found in edited collections.’ Tim Dunne, Professor of International Relations, University of Exeter
Book Description
Leading scholars analyse how moral principles are compromised when we face real problems in international politics.
About the Author
Richard M. Price is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of The Chemical Weapons Taboo (1997) and the co-editor (with Mark Zacher) of The United Nations and Global Security (2004).
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