1st Edition
Religion and the Realist Tradition From Political Theology to International Relations Theory and Back
This volume picks up a rather uninvested field of international relations theory: the influence of religion on Realism as well as the power of Realism to address religious issues in world politics. Although classical scholars of Realism rarely mention religion explicitly in their well-known work, this volume suggests that Realism offers serious ground for taking religion and faith into account as well as evaluating the impact of religion on its theoretical framework: how religion and religious worldviews influence and affect the theoretical framework of Realism, and how Realism approach religious issues in international relations as a relatively new field of international studies. Although international relations scholars now widely deal with issues of religion, large portions of the theoretical underpinning are missing. In addressing this lack, the volume illustrates the possibility of reform and change in Realism. Furthermore, the chapters reach out to normative statements. The contributors offer a theoretical view on religion in international relations in the context of Realism but always connect this with actual, real-world related political problems. The volume takes into account not only classical thinkers and approaches of Realism but also present-day authors dealing with ethical and normative questions of international relations in the aftermath of 9/11.
Offering a fresh perspective on the influence of religion on international relations theory, this work will be of great interest to scholars of religion and international relations, international relations theory, and political philosophy
1 Getting theory? Realism and religion in international relations Jodok Troy 2 The influence of the Jewish experience on the Realism of Hans J. Morgenthau Ben Mollov 3. "A Profound Impression:" The influence of Christian thought on the Realist vision of Hans J. Morgenthau Peter Pham 4. Reinhold Niebuhr's Ethical Realism John Carlson 5. Reading Augustine: The potential for moral agency in the realist tradition? Amanda Russel Beattie 6. American Katéchon: When Political Theology Became International Relations Theory Nicolas Guilhot 7. Liberalism's religion problem and the promise of Realism in a religious world Eric Patterson 8. Re-thinking Realism: Normativity, ethics and religion in (what we call) Realism Hartmut Behr 9. The constructive norm constituting power of religion in political Realism Christoph Rohde 10. Obama and "the Muslim World:" Realism, pragmatism and religion in contemporary U.S. foreign policy Erik Owens 11. Religion and the Realist Tradition of International Relations in a constructed world Vendulka Kubalkova 12. One Cheer for Classical Realism, or Toward a Power Politics of Religion Daniel Nexon 13. Conclusion Rebecca Glazier
Biography
Jodok Troy is a lecturer and project leader at the Department of Political Science at the University of Innsbruck. He was as research fellow at the Georgetown University, USA. His most recent publications include Christian Approaches to International Relations and the volume Mission Critical: Smaller Democracies' Role in Global Stability Operations.