Diplomacy Of Connivance (the Sciences Po Series In International Relations And Political Economy)

The status quo of the modern world order, a diplomatic entente best characterized as 'connivance diplomacy,' is examined here through its history, its functions, and its failures. The status quo of the modern world order, a diplomatic entente best characterized as "connivance diplomacy," is limited in its performances, defensive of its privileges, midway between competition and cooperation. It is examined here through its history, its functions, and its failures Review: "Building on the experience of the Concert of the Powers, Bertrand Badie develops the concept of 'connivance.' It is partway between armistice and peace, conflict and cooperation, and bridges realist emphasis on power and the liberal and constructivist focus on norms and rules. Badie makes a strong case for its utility in an increasingly multipolar world composed of powerful units with different cultures and values but which nevertheless need to live with one another in peace." - Richard Ned Lebow, professor of International Political Theory, Department of War Studies, King's College, London "Bertrand Badie's account of exclusive multilateralism is an effective antidote against too much enthusiasm for the many small groupings, formal like the Security Council and less formal like the G8, which are populating today's international relations. His critique of the West's usurpation of the leadership role in these clubs not only enhances misgivings of former victims of colonialism and imperialism. Even if one believes that cooperation among great powers to prevent major war is not a bad thing, Badie's call for inclusion serves as a necessary counterweight against too much devotion toward the powers that be." - Harald Mueller, professor of International Relations, Goethe University and executive director, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt "While I have more confidence than Bertrand Badie in institutional constraints and in Great Powers' tendency to reciprocally block each other's hegemonial ambitions out of self-interest, I profoundly share his concern with their ability to conclude bargains detrimental to less powerful participants in the state system. This is clearly one of the best books on the dilemmas of Great Power cooperation that I have read in many years." - Matthias Schulz, professor of History of International Relations and Transnational History, University of Geneva

The Fall of the Berlin Wall left an international system without a name. Behind these imprecisions is a profound continuity: the oligarchic stubborness of the states community, started in 1815 by a diplomatic entente that has never disappeared despite highs and lows. It is embodied today in the G8 and the G20, presented by the media as the new directors of the world, though they often find themselves powerless and at an impasse. What results is what Bertrand Badie terms connivance diplomacy: limited in its performances, defensive of its privileges, intermediary between competition and cooperation, it is mostly precluding in its practices. By raising various forms of protest it confuses the international game instead of ordering it. This approach to international relations is examined here through its history, its functions, and its failures, calling into question the sometimes obscure notion of an international system.

Front Matter....Pages i-v Introduction....Pages 1-9 Front Matter....Pages 11-12 Concerts and Dissonance....Pages 13-35 A Precarious Polarization....Pages 37-55 The System without a Name (1989–)....Pages 57-76 Front Matter....Pages 77-78 “Fireside Chats”....Pages 79-98 Western “Nobility”....Pages 99-114 The Imperative of Governance....Pages 115-132 Front Matter....Pages 133-134 Concert of Contention....Pages 135-152 The Emerging Powers as Arbiters....Pages 153-170 An Anomic International System....Pages 171-187 Conclusion....Pages 189-191 Back Matter....Pages 193-200