The National Interest In International Relations Theory

This is the first systematic and critical analysis of the concept of national interest from the perspective of contemporary theories of International Relations, including realist, Marxist, anarchist, liberal, English School and constructivist perspectives. Scott Burchill explains that although commonly used in diplomacy, the national interest is a highly problematic concept and a poor guide to understanding the motivations of foreign policy.

How do states know what they want? Asking how interests are defined and how changes in them are accommodated, Martha Finnemore shows the fruitfulness of a constructivist approach to international politics. She draws on insights from sociological institutionalism to develop a systemic approach to state interests and state behavior by investigating an international structure not of power but of meaning and social value. An understanding of what states want, she argues, requires insight into the international social structure of which they are a part. States are embedded in dense networks of transnational and international social relations that shape their perceptions and their preferences in consistent ways. Finnemore focuses on international organizations as one important component of social structure and investigates the ways in which they redefine state preferences. She details three examples in different issue areas. In state structure, she discusses UNESCO and the changing international organization of science. In security, she analyzes the role of the Red Cross and the acceptance of the Geneva Convention rules of war. Finally, she focuses on the World Bank and explores the changing definitions of development in the Third World. Each case shows how international organizations socialize states to accept new political goals and new social values in ways that have lasting impact on the conduct of war, the workings of the international political economy, and the structure of states themselves.

Most of the competition laws currently enforced by states aim to protect consumer welfare and promote fair competition by regulating against anticompetitive behavior. Yet despite the shared objectives the global community does not have a common global competition law. In exploring the reasons for this, this book takes a unique interdisciplinary approach by using international relations theories to illustrate the relationship between the enforcement of competition laws and international relations through an analysis of competition cases relating to cartels, extraterritoriality, and corporate mergers and acquisitions. Through an examination of this relationship, this book will consider why the views held by state leaders on the condition of international relations may at times lead them to either arbitrarily over-enforce or disregard their competition laws to the detriment of fair competition and consumer welfare. This book also provides suggestions for global business investors who face competition law issues on how they may accommodate such views.

This multi-authored textbook helps to critically understand the major concepts, theories and issues of international politics in a constantly changing environment. Designed as a core textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate students, this book provides a roadmap to orient students to the main concepts, theories and issues in world politics today. Each chapter provides an analytical overview of the issues addressed, identifies the central actors and perspectives, and outlines past progress and future prospects. The highlight of the book is a critical overview of the major theories of international politics apart from a fairly detailed chapter on India’s foreign policy. This revised edition includes new chapters on the impacts of globalization, regionalism and global politics and perspectives from the global South. Debates and discourses on contemporary issues such as terrorism, human rights, development, security and the role and relevance of international organizations have been updated to suit recent curriculum requirements. Key Features • Critical overview of the major theories and issues of international politics • Updated data added with illustrations in every chapter • Each chapter aided by model questions for classroom discussion

Cultural Diplomacy: Beyond the National Interest? is the first book bringing together, from the perspective of the cultural disciplines, scholarship that locates contemporary cultural diplomacy practices within their social, political, and ideological contexts, while examining the different forces that drive them. The contributions to this book have two methodologies: the first, to deconstruct and demystify cultural diplomacy, notably the ‘hype’ that accompanies it, especially when it is yoked to the notion of ‘soft power’; the second, to better understand how contemporary cultural diplomacy actually operates. In applying a cultural lens to the question, this book probes whether there can be such a thing as a cultural diplomacy ‘beyond the national interest’. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Cultural Policy.

This book offers a comprehensive review of the Communist Party of China's approach to diplomacy, through an extensive evaluation of the major practices and theories behind the Party's diplomacy, with its main achievements in its 90 years of diplomacy highlighted. It delves into the views held by the Communist Party of China on the changing times, the international system, national interests, and developments in China's diplomacy. Other topics covered at length include China's traditional and non-traditional diplomatic practices as well as basic characteristics of the Party's diplomacy. Few books have touched on the Communist Party of China's diplomatic history in detail. China's Diplomacy: Theory and Practice fills the gap by shedding insights on the Communist Party of China's global strategies and diplomatic planning, contributing to the building an international relations theory with Chinese characteristics. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of China's international relations from the forward-looking analyses on the Party's core role in leading China's diplomacy, and the theoretical explanations behind the practices. Contents:Leadership and Achievements of the CPC in China's Diplomacy (YANG Jiemian)Theory:The Concept of the Times and the Foreign Policy of China (YE Qing)The Concept of the International System and China's Foreign Policy (ZHANG Pei)The Concept of National Interests (LIU Zongyi)Scientific Outlook on Development and China's Diplomacy (ZHANG Haibing)Practice:Traditional Deployments of China's Diplomacy (ZHANG Chun)China's Diplomacy in Non-traditional Areas (YU Hongyuan)Party Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics (NIU Haibin)CPC Advancing with the Times: Future Prospects of China's Diplomacy (YANG Jiemian) Readership: Graduates, researchers, academics and professionals interested in China's diplomacy, international relations, and political science. Keywords:Theory;Politics;International Relations;China's Diplomacy;Communist Party of ChinaKey Features:Offers a comprehensive review of the Communist Party of China's diplomatic historySheds insights on the Party's global strategy and diplomatic planningExamines the Party's core role in leading China's diplomacy through theoretical, forward-looking analysesReviews: “This phenomenal volume provides distinctive viewpoints of the Communist Party of China on international politics and China's foreign relations. For those who are interested in how China's diplomacy has evolved from carrying out a ‘revolutionary line’ to pursuing the ‘path of peaceful development’, this is a must-read.” Wang Jisi Dean of the School of International Studies Peking University “This comprehensive volume seeks to lay out the ‘leadership and achievements of the Communist Party of China in China's diplomacy’. It takes a multifaceted approach, deeply rooted in the entire history of the CPC. For a foreign reader, perhaps this book's greatest value lies in its detailed explication of a Chinese perspective on the Party's diplomatic theories and practice over the past ninety years. As such, it provides many valuable insights.” Kenneth Lieberthal Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution “The book on China's foreign policies is a unique instrument not only to know but also to understand China. It is a guide for knowing the past and informing the future.” Mr Romano Prodi former President of the European Commission and Italy's former Prime Minister