Description
Book SynopsisWhat are the implications of philosophical pragmatism for international relations theory and foreign policy practice? According to John Ryder, a foreign policy built on pragmatist principles is neither naïve nor dangerous. In fact, it is very much what both the U.S. and the world are currently in need of. Close observers of Barack Obama's foreign policy statements have also raised the possibility of a distinctly pragmatist approach to international relations. Absent from the three dominant theoretical perspectives in the fieldrealism, idealism and constructivismis any mention of pragmatism, except in the very limited, instrumentalist sense of choosing appropriate foreign policy tools to achieve proposed policy objectives. The key commitments of any international relations approach in the pragmatist tradition could include a flexible approach to crafting policy ends, theory integrally related to practice, a concern for both the normative and explanatory dimensions of international relat
Trade ReviewThese carefully crafted essays take the measure of current debates about international relations. They confidently guide their readers beyond the usual grand theories to a richly contextual approach that foregrounds tools of experimental inquiry. The contributors furnish ample evidence of the continuing relevance of classical pragmatism to some of the most urgent discussions of our time. -- Larry Hickman, Southern Illinois University
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Foreword Introduction Chapter 1: On Pragmatism and International Relations Chapter 2: Getting Beyond International Relations Theory Chapter 3: Pragmatism, Militarism, and Political Theory Chapter 4: Pragmatism, Peacekeeping, and the Constabulary Force Chapter 5: Justice and global Communities of Inquiry Chapter 6: Science, Values, and Democracy in the Global Climate Change Debate Chapter 7: Obama’s Pragmatism in International Affairs—Appropriate or Appropriation? Chapter 8: Presidential Rhetoric and Pragmatism’s Possibilities Bibliography Index About the Contributors
