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International
Political Theory in Fall/Winter 2006
The articles surveyed for this
issue of The IPT Beacon appeared in journals published between July and
December 2006.
A prominent theme is
the question of how cosmopolitan principles can or should be applied in the
context of institutions as they exist. Two journals have special issues on
this general question. Social Theory and Practice (32.4), edited by Victoria Costa and Joshua Gert, provides an especially
rich collection of articles on Cosmopolitanism and the State. As well as
our featured articles by Simon Caney and Eamonn Callan, it includes other
important contributions. Aaron James,
in ÔEquality in a Realistic UtopiaÕ,
advances the potentially significant argument that, even granting the
premises of a Ôpragmatic realismÕ, a persuasive case can be made for
reducing structural inequalities globally. Darrel
MoellendorfÕs ÔEqual Respect and
Global EgalitarianismÕ makes a more direct defence of global
egalitarianism by reference to a principle of associational justice which
establishes reciprocal obligations not restricted to compatriots. Both
James and Moellendorf are responding critically to the idea that the state
is normatively special compared to other social and economic forms of
association which transcend statesÕ borders, an idea which is given some
support in Mathias RisseÕs
considerations on ÔWhat to Say About the
StateÕ. Less
committed to a defence of the state per se is Margaret
MooreÕs nuanced examination of the normative significance of
political boundaries in ÔCosmopolitanism and
Political CommunitiesÕ. Turning to a more specific issue in the
application of cosmopolitan principles, Sarah
Holtman, ÔOn the Question of
OrphansÕ, raises, and supplies a framework for debating, the
significant, yet rather neglected, question of how justice and morality
bear on intercountry adoption of orphaned children. The special issue of Global
Society (20.3)
on Cosmopolitanism and Global Institutions, edited by Christien van den Anker, carries several interesting
articles, including Andras MiklosÕs
ÔInstitutions in Cosmopolitan JusticeÕ,
which seeks to show how institutions make a non-instrumental difference to
individualsÕ obligations regarding global justice. Andrew
Linklater, in ÔThe Harm Principle
and Global EthicsÕ, argues that the harm principle, which should
be weaved into the fabric of international society, entails not only
(negative) duties of forbearance but has more radical implications. In line with LinklaterÕs analysis, Lorraine Elliott, in ÔCosmopolitan Harm ConventionsÕ, focuses
on the global politics of the environment as a specific locus of response
to transnational harm. International
Relations (20.3)
features a Forum on Rethinking the Rules, whose noteworthy contributions
include Ben Thirkell-White, ÔPrivate
Authority and Legitimacy in the International SystemÕ and Anthony Lang,
Jnr, Nicholas
Rengger, & William Walker,
ÔThe Role(s) of Rules: Some Conceptual
ClarificationsÕ. The same issue also
carries a separate article by Georg
S¿rensen on ÔLiberalism of Restraint and Liberalism of
Imposition: Liberal Values and World Order in the New MillenniumÕ.
Questions in the
ethics of war are prominent in several journals. Ethics and International Affairs has some impressive
contributions on the subject, including our featured article by David
Mellow. Another is Gerhard ¯verlandÕs
ÔKilling SoldiersÕ (Ethics and
International Affairs, 20.4), whose hypothetical contractarian justification for the use
of lethal force against soldiers who might be considered Ômorally innocent
attackersÕ offers a promising approach to a
difficult philosophical issue. On a related theme, The Journal of
Political Philosophy (14.4) carries Jeff McMahanÕs article ÔOn the Moral Equality of CombatantsÕ
which offers critical consideration of arguments supporting the doctrine of
his title. Meanwhile, questions which philosophers may yet have to address are
raised in Alex J.BellamyÕs ÔWhither the
Responsibility to Protect?Õ (Ethics
and International Affairs, 20.2) which
points up different, competing, meanings attached to this new doctrine by
its proponents. The Ethics of War is also the theme of a special issue of the
Journal of Applied Philosophy (23.3), from which our featured article by Gross is drawn.
Edited by David Rodin, this
interesting collection of articles includes several which engage with his
own influential work in this area.
Another area in which
noteworthy articles appeared is at the interface with international law. Abdullahi An-na'im, in ÔWhy should
Muslims abandon Jihad? Human rights and the future of international lawÕ (Third World Quarterly, 27.5), examines the basis and reality of international
legality and the universality of human rights from an Islamic perspective.
He calls for principled commitment to and systematic respect for the
institutional framework of international legality and the rule of law to
encourage Muslims to abandon traditional notions of jihad. ÔHoles in the Rights Framework: Racial
Discrimination, Citizenship, and the Rights of NoncitizensÕ, by James A. Goldston (Ethics & International Affairs, 20.2) provides a good survey of the human rights
challenges facing noncitizens, of whom there are increasing numbers around
the world as a consequence of globalization, and highlights the importance
of citizenship for securing fundamental human rights. Also on migration
issues is ÔImmigration,
Multiculturalism, and the Welfare StateÕ
by Will Kymlicka and Keith
Banting (Ethics and International
Affairs, 20.2). They present evidence
against the thesis that multiculturalism is undermining the welfare state,
and conclude with some speculation about the implications of this evidence
for debates about the rights of noncitizens. Ethics and
International Affairs (20.3) features a symposium on Crimes Against Humanity which has
short contributions from Larry May, David Luban, Jamie Mayerfield, and
Andrew Altman.
A nicely wrought piece of intellectual
history is ÔThe new geopolitics of division
and the problem of a Kantian EuropeÕ
by Stuart Elden and Luiza
Bialasiewicz (Review of
International Studies, 32.4).
A concern with
environmental issues is gradually surfacing within IPT, particularly with the
added momentum of worldwide public concern about climate change. In the
period under review, not many articles on this subject had yet reached
publication, but for readers interested in the relevant politics and
policy, several articles in International Affairs (82.5) are worth consulting.
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