Overcoming Poststructuralism: Rawls, Kratochwil And The Structure Of Normative Reasoning In International Relations (international Political Theory)

Through the use of a poststructuralist perspective, Antony O'Loughlin challenges the most basic tenets of International Relations Theory and deploys Rawlsian ideas of public reason in conjunction with Kratochwil's conceptions of practical reason in order to put forward a theory that overcomes the challenges posed by poststructuralism. The theorisation of international relations has progressed considerably in recent years to the point that a dialogue between the concurrent disciplines of International Relations (IR), political theory and international law has started to emerge. There is, however, much work still to be done in establishing what could be termed an 'International Theory' - one which contains the potential to transcend arbitrary disciplinary and methodological boundaries (particularly where the subject matter of the respective disciplines - working out a conception of normative reason appropriate to application in considerations of international justice and human rights - is trans-disciplinary in nature). This insightful contemporary critique considers the poststructuralist challenge to the very foundations and methodological commitments of traditional IR theory, as developed by R.B.J. Walker and Richard Ashley in the 1990s and beyond - as well as the various ways in which the discipline has sought to respond to such a pervasive attack on its most cherished beliefs. This study not only brings into question the central tenets of traditional IR theory, but also uses the political thought and theories of key thinkers including John Rawls, Friedrich Kratochwil and Peri Roberts to posit an account of normative reasoning which overcomes the challenges presented by a poststructuralist perspective "The theorisation of international relations has progressed considerably in recent years to the point that a dialogue between the concurrent disciplines of International Relations (IR), political theory and international law has started to emerge. There is, however, much work still to be done in establishing what could be termed an 'International Theory' - one which contains the potential to transcend arbitrary disciplinary and methodological boundaries (particularly where the subject matter of the respective disciplines - working out a conception of normative reason appropriate to application in considerations of international justice and human rights - is trans-disciplinary in nature). This insightful contemporary critique considers the poststructuralist challenge to the very foundations and methodological commitments of traditional IR theory, as developed by R.B.J. Walker and Richard Ashley in the 1990s and beyond - as well as the various ways in which the discipline has sought to respond to such a pervasive attack on its most cherished beliefs. This study not only brings into question the central tenets of traditional IR theory, but also uses the political thought and theories of key thinkers including John Rawls, Friedrich Kratochwil and Peri Roberts to posit an account of normative reasoning which overcomes the challenges presented by a poststructuralist perspective"-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-v Introduction: The ‘Enormous Creative Potential of Practical Reason’....Pages 1-12 Front Matter....Pages 13-13 Inside/Outside: Walker, Ashley and the Poststructuralist Critique of IR....Pages 15-39 Overcoming the Poststructuralist Critique?....Pages 40-71 Constitutive Political Theory: Mervyn Frost and the Role of Norms in International Political Theory....Pages 72-89 Front Matter....Pages 91-91 Beyond Coherence: Rawls’ Conception of Public Reason....Pages 93-117 Contemporary Moral Foundationalism: Buchanan’s Conception of Normative Reasoning and the Role of Institutions in Political Justification....Pages 118-142 Philosophical Constructivism and Critical Constructivism Combined: Kratochwil’s Account of the Conditions of Practical Reasoning and the Rawlsian Conception of Public Reason....Pages 143-181 The Concept of the Reasonable in International Political Justification: A Rejoinder to the Poststructuralist Critique....Pages 182-243 Conclusion: Poststructuralism and Beyond....Pages 244-245 Back Matter....Pages 246-281 "Antony O'Loughlin addresses two important questions: the moral grounding of human rights claims, and the specific properties of practical reasoning in international affairs. Serious-minded, lucid and compelling, O'Loughlin offers a fresh way of thinking about many of today's most urgent, and somewhat frightening problems in international relations."--Anthony Julius, Deputy Chairman, Mishcon de Reya