Equality in international society
Subtitle: a reappraisal
By: Ronnie Hjorth, reader in political science, Swedish National Defence College, Stockholm, Sweden
Series: Global ethics
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 191
ISBN-13: 9780230393158
Subjects: International relations; Philosophy; Moral and ethical aspects; Equality of states; Sovereignty; Balance of power; World politics; BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / International / General; POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory; POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations / General; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Freedom & Security / Human Rights
Description: "The author re-examines the concept of equality in international society, past and present. The conventional view that equality of states necessarily flows from sovereignty, that it is a corollary to sovereignty or simply a synonym, is considered a contingent rather than a necessary contention. The main argument is that equality in global international society should be theorised anew, restoring the normative strength of the principle. It is shown how concepts of equality make intelligible different normative and ethical conceptions of the modern political space in the past. Drawing on the works of such diverse theorists as Hans Kelsen, Peter Singer, John Rawls and Michael Oakeshott, the author suggests how a renewed interest in equality contributes to making international society a more inclusive, egalitarian, and credible moral and political association"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-181) and index.
Table of contents: title: Preface; title: 1. Introduction; title: 2. Concepts, Approaches, Devices; title: PART I. HISTORY : A BACKWARD GLANCE; title: 3. Two Naturalist Theories; title: 4. Hobbes and the Constructivist Theory of Equality; title: 5. Equality and Hierarchy; title: 6. Sovereign Equality and its Discontents; title: Conclusions; title: PART II. THEORY : A FRESH BEGINNING; title: 7. Equality Without Sovereignty; title: 8. A New Framework for Equality; title: 9. The Limits of International Society; title: Conclusions.