Jørgensen - International relations theory : a new introduction

International Relations Theory

Also by Knud Erik Jrgensen

European Approaches to Crisis Management (editor 1997)

Reflective Approaches to European Governance (editor 1997)

Constructing International Relations: The Next Generation (co-editor 2001)

The Social Construction of Europe (co-editor 2001)

Sage Handbook on European Union Politics (co-editor 2007)

Turkey and the European Union: Prospects of a Difficult Encounter (co-editor 2007)

The European Union and International Organizations (editor 2009)

European Democracy: Foundations, Milestones, Future Perspectives (co-editor 2009)

The Influence of International Institutions on the EU: When Multilateralism Hits Brussels (co-editor 2012)

Routledge Handbook on the European Union and International Institutions (co-editor 2012)

The Performance of the EU in International Institutions (co-editor 2013)

Theorizing Foreign Policy in a Globalized World (co-editor 2015)

Sage Handbook on European Foreign Policy (co-editor 2015)

Reappraising European IR Theoretical Traditions (co-author 2017)

International Relations Theory

A New Introduction

2nd edition

Knud Erik Jrgensen

Knud Erik Jrgensen 2018

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First edition published 2010

Second edition published 2018 by
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ISBN 9781137604453 hardback
ISBN 9781137604460 paperback

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List of Boxes, Tables and Figures

Boxes

Tables

Figures

List of Abbreviations

Preface and Acknowledgements

It is a key feature of mature disciplines that they engage, from time to time, in critical self-reflection. While such reflections are intriguing and rewarding in their own right, a major motivation for writing this book is my conviction regarding the importance of incorporating them into the textbooks used to introduce the discipline and its theories. The design and conception of this book has, therefore, been strongly influenced by the fruits of my own research on the genesis and development of the discipline, in particular on the trajectories of European International Relations (or IR) theory, the genesis and origins of International Relations theory more generally and the benefits and pitfalls of aspiring to make International Relations a truly global discipline.

About seven years ago I finished the manuscript for the first edition, which coincided with the beginning of the global financial crisis and the relative decline of the West. Whereas I prepared the first edition in a village outside Aarhus, Denmark, most of the work on the present edition was done in Izmir, Turkey. The dynamics of world politics and economics as well as the change of coordinates prompt fresh perspectives on global affairs and I think the second edition somehow reflects the changes. The new edition also includes a new chapter, specifically about what ended up being called the HumanNature tradition. We live in an era characterized by climate change, environmental challenges and profound advances in biotechnology as well as in the life sciences more generally, hence this is a perfect time to (re-)consider how theorists theorize the relationship between human beings and their material environment, especially the international or global dimensions of the relationship.