Moral Limit and Possibility in World Politics (Cambridge Studies in International Relations, Series Number 107)

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. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Contributors......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 Introduction......Page 15 Critical theory and normative theorizing in International Relations......Page 22 The relation of the empirical to the ethical......Page 27 Rationalism, constructivism and agency......Page 34 Constructivism and hypocrisy......Page 39 Dilemmas and the constitutive effects of norms......Page 45 Complicity and co-optation in moral change......Page 48 Power and dialogic ethics......Page 57 2 Constructivism and the structure of ethical reasoning......Page 67 A ‘mature science’ of international politics......Page 68 The contraction of the field......Page 71 A holistic conception of ethical reasoning......Page 79 The contribution of constructivism......Page 84 Conclusion......Page 95 3 The role of consequences, comparison and counterfactuals in constructivist ethical thought......Page 97 Principles and consequences......Page 99 Evaluating consequences......Page 106 Trials and consequences......Page 108 Weighing consequences......Page 110 Mental simulations of counterfactual worlds......Page 112 Pure counterfactuals......Page 115 Comparison to the ideal......Page 118 Empirical comparisons......Page 120 4 Sovereignty, recognition and indigenous peoples......Page 126 Recognition......Page 129 What are the consequences of mis-recognition?......Page 133 How should indigenous peoples be recognised under international law?......Page 137 What is to be done?......Page 147 Introduction......Page 152 US approaches to undocumented migrants......Page 155 The philosophical debate: Carens and Walzer......Page 161 Political reality......Page 167 Illegal immigrants......Page 171 What next?......Page 175 6 Lie to me: sanctions on Iraq, moral argument and the international politics of hypocrisy......Page 179 Moral argument and hypocrisy in international affairs......Page 183 The sanctions on Iraq......Page 190 Oil-for-Food......Page 198 The significance of lost moral consensus......Page 199 ‘Smart sanctions’......Page 203 Constructivism, Habermas and the possibility of consensus......Page 207 7 Paradoxes in humanitarian intervention......Page 211 Creating humanity, creating crises......Page 215 Who is ‘human’?......Page 216 Changed expectations for government performance......Page 217 Normative tensions that make intervening difficult......Page 220 Self-determination vs. humanitarianism......Page 222 Self-determination vs. intervention......Page 224 The role played by international organisations......Page 228 Moral dilemmas and constructivist analysis......Page 232 Introduction......Page 239 Immigrants and Swedes as technical and ethnic categories......Page 245 1960s–1980s: immigrants and Swedes through work......Page 248 Mid-1990s–present: immigrants and Swedes through culture......Page 250 Feasible conceptualisation?......Page 258 Conclusion......Page 264 9 Interstate community-building and the identity/difference predicament......Page 267 Identity and difference: an ongoing debate in constructivist IR theory......Page 269 Identity and its constitutive outside......Page 271 Forms of othering......Page 276 Community-building in practice......Page 280 The EU......Page 281 ASEAN......Page 287 What kinds of community to build?......Page 293 Constructed contexts......Page 295 The ethics of constructivism......Page 301 The ethics of hypocrisy......Page 310 Index......Page 319 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series-title 4 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Contributors 9 Preface 11 1 Moral limit and possibility in world politics 15 Introduction 15 Critical theory and normative theorizing in International Relations 22 The relation of the empirical to the ethical 27 Rationalism, constructivism and agency 34 Constructivism and hypocrisy 39 Dilemmas and the constitutive effects of norms 45 Complicity and co-optation in moral change 48 Power and dialogic ethics 57 2 Constructivism and the structure of ethical reasoning 67 A ‘mature science’ of international politics 68 The contraction of the field 71 A holistic conception of ethical reasoning 79 The contribution of constructivism 84 Conclusion 95 3 The role of consequences, comparison and counterfactuals in constructivist ethical thought 97 Principles and consequences 99 Evaluating consequences 106 Trials and consequences 108 Weighing consequences 110 Four kinds of reasoning commonly used to evaluate consequences 112 Mental simulations of counterfactual worlds 112 Pure counterfactuals 115 Comparison to the ideal 118 Empirical comparisons 120 4 Sovereignty, recognition and indigenous peoples 126 Recognition 129 What are the consequences of mis-recognition? 133 How should indigenous peoples be recognised under international law? 137 What is to be done? 147 5 Policy hypocrisy or political compromise? Assessing the morality of US policy toward undocumented migrants 152 Introduction 152 US approaches to undocumented migrants 155 The philosophical debate: Carens and Walzer 161 Political reality 167 Illegal immigrants 171 What next? 175 6 Lie to me: sanctions on Iraq, moral argument and the international politics of hypocrisy 179 Moral argument and hypocrisy in international affairs 183 The sanctions on Iraq 190 Oil-for-Food 198 The significance of lost moral consensus 199 ‘Smart sanctions’ 203 Constructivism, Habermas and the possibility of consensus 207 7 Paradoxes in humanitarian intervention 211 Creating humanity, creating crises 215 Who is ‘human’? 216 Changed expectations for government performance 217 Normative tensions that make intervening difficult 220 Self-determination vs. humanitarianism 222 Self-determination vs. intervention 224 The role played by international organisations 228 Moral dilemmas and constructivist analysis 232 8 Inevitable inequalities? Approaching gender equality and multiculturalism 239 Introduction 239 Immigrants and Swedes as technical and ethnic categories 245 Gender equality and the differentiation between Swedes and immigrants 248 1960s–1980s: immigrants and Swedes through work 248 Mid-1990s–present: immigrants and Swedes through culture 250 Feasible conceptualisation? 258 Conclusion 264 9 Interstate community-building and the identity/difference predicament 267 Identity and difference: an ongoing debate in constructivist IR theory 269 Identity and its constitutive outside 271 Forms of othering 276 Community-building in practice 280 The EU 281 ASEAN 287 What kinds of community to build? 293 10 Progress with a price 295 Constructed contexts 295 The ethics of constructivism 301 The ethics of hypocrisy 310 Index 319 In this book, leading scholars analyse how moral principles are compromised when we face real problems in international politics