Drawing upon philosophy and social theory, Social Theory of International Politics develops a theory of the international system as a social construction. Alexander Wendt clarifies the central claims of the constructivist approach, presenting a structural and idealist worldview which contrasts with the individualism and materialism which underpins much mainstream international relations theory. He builds a cultural theory of international politics, which takes whether states view each other as enemies, rivals or friends as a fundamental determinant. Wendt characterises these roles as 'cultures of anarchy', described as Hobbesian, Lockean and Kantian respectively. These cultures are shared ideas which help shape state interests and capabilities, and generate tendencies in the international system. The book describes four factors which can drive structural change from one culture to another - interdependence, common fate, homogenization, and self-restraint - and examines the effects of capitalism and democracy in the emergence of a Kantian culture in the West.

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Social Theory of International Politics

This article introduces a mode of social action and interaction that has so far been largely overlooked in the U.S.-dominated international relations debate between rational choice and social constructivism that focuses mainly on the differences between instrumental rationality and norm-guided behavior. Drawing on insights from a theoretical debate within the Germanspeaking international relations community, I suggest that actors have a third mode of social action at their disposal: arguing and deliberating about the validity claims inherent in any communicative statement about identities, interests, and the state of the world. Arguing and truth-seeking behavior presuppose that actors no longer hold fixed interests during their communicative interaction but are open to persuasion, challenges, and counterchallenges geared toward reaching a reasoned consensus. The preconditions for argumentative rationality, particularly a “common lifeworld” and the mutual recognition of speakers as equals in a nonhierarchical relationship, are more common in international relations than is usually assumed. Arguing processes are more likely to occur the more actors are uncertain about their interests and even identities, the less they know about the situation in which they find themselves and the underlying “rules of the game,” and the more apparently irreconcilable differences prevent them from reaching an optimal rather than a merely satisfactory solution for a widely perceived problem (“problem solving”). Moreover, arguing is likely to increase the influence of the materially less powerful, be it small states or nonstate actors such as INGOs. I illustrate these claims empirically with two plausibility probes. The first concerns the East–West talks leading to a negotiated settlement of the Cold War in Europe and German unification within NATO. The second case focuses on the implementation of international human rights norms into domestic practices of Third World states.

“Let's Argue!”: Communicative Action in World Politics

The concept of consumer ethnocentrism is introduced and a corresponding measure, the CETSCALE, is formulated and validated. Four separate studies provide support for the CETSCALE's reliability and ...

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Consumer Ethnocentrism: Construction and Validation of the CETSCALE:

Consumer Ethnocentrism: construction and validation of the CETSCALE ', Journal of Marketing Research, 24(August ), .

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

Our work Is our words, but our words do not work any more. They have not worked for some time. We can obviously start with the misleading label—‘International Politics’—which is given to our subject. As a result of this problem, I have wanted to use increasing numbers of inverted commas; but most have never seen the light of day because copy-editors have regarded them as an over-indulgence. Even so, the very temptation of these little scratches indicates that words at the heart of the subject are i n trouble:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0260210500112033

Security and emancipation

War and Change in World Politics

Booth, Ken, Theory of World Security (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), pp.xviii+489 RAE2008

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Theory of World Security

Introduction Steve Smith, Ken Booth, and Marysia Zalewski Part I. Debates: 1. Positivism and beyond Steve Smith Part II. Legacies: 2. The timeless wisdom of realism? Barry Buzan 3. The growing relevance of pluralism? Richard Little 4. The interstate structure of the modern world system Immanuel Wallerstein 5. The accomplishments of international political theory Stephen Krasner 6. The continued significance of positivism Michael Nicholson Part III. Silences: 7. The rise and fall of the inter-paradigm debate Ole Weaver 8. Margins, silences and bottom rungs: how to overcome the underestimation of power in the study of international relations Cynthia Enloe 9. Is there a classical international theory? Robert Jackson Part IV. Openings: 10. Authoritarian and liberal militarism: a contribution from comparative and historical sociology Michael Mann 11. The achievements of post-structuralism Richard Ashley 12. The contributions of feminist theories to international relations Christine Sylvester 13. The achievements of critical theory Andrew Linklater Part V. Directions: 14. The last post? Martin Hollis 15. Probing puzzles persistently: a desirable but improbable future for IR theory James Rosenau 16. The future of international relations: fears and hopes Fred Halliday 17. Seventy-five years on: rewriting the subject's past - reinventing its future Ken Booth 18. 'All these theories yet the bodies keep piling up': theory, theorists, theorising Marysia Zalewski.

International theory; positivism and beyond

Booth, Ken, and N. J. Wheeler, The Security Dilemma: Fear, Cooperation, and Trust in World Politics (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007), pp.xv+364 RAE2008

Ken Booth

Papers

Security and emancipation

War and Change in World Politics

Theory of World Security

International theory; positivism and beyond

The Security Dilemma: Fear, Cooperation, and Trust in World Politics