The_Foundations_of_Normative_IR_Theory_Final

1.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The Foundations of
Normative
IR Theory
Ethics, justice and responsibility
in world politics

2.

What makes IR
theory normative?
Normative IR theory examines how states,
institutions and people ought to act in world politics.
EXPLANATORY QUESTION
NORMATIVE QUESTION
Why do states
restrict migration?
When are border
restrictions
morally justified?
Ethical arguments connect rights, duties and legitimate
authority with evidence about real-world conditions.
Erskine (2010)
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3.

Intellectual foundations
Selected milestones within a wider intellectual tradition
1795
1977
1979
1999
Immanuel Kant
Michael Walzer
Charles Beitz
John Rawls
Perpetual Peace
Just and Unjust Wars
Political Theory and
International Relations
The Law of Peoples
Republican government,
a federation of free states
and cosmopolitan
hospitality.
Moral limits on when war
is justified and how
it is fought.
Ethical scrutiny of state
autonomy and global
distributive justice.
Fair cooperation among
peoples, human rights
and duties of assistance.
Kant (1795), Walzer (1977), Beitz (1979), Rawls (1999)
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4.

Two ways of moral reasoning
Deontology
Consequentialism
Duties and rights
Expected outcomes
An action must respect moral duties
and rights, even when breaking a rule
might produce benefits.
An action is assessed through its
expected consequences, comparing
benefits, harms and alternatives.
Example: a duty to protect civilians
from deliberate attack.
Example: selecting the policy expected
to reduce civilian suffering most.
Erskine (2010)
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5.

Cosmopolitanism and
communitarianism
Cosmopolitanism
Communitarianism
Every person has equal moral worth.
Moral duties take shape within
political communities.
Borders do not erase duties
to outsiders.
Shared membership can justify special
obligations to fellow citizens.
Global institutions should face
standards of justice.
Self-determination and sovereignty
deserve moral weight.
Both orientations contain internal disagreements and can recognise duties beyond borders.
Beitz (1979), Cochran (1999), Erskine (2010)
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6.

Core normative concepts
Four ideas that often pull political decisions in different directions
Human rights
Sovereignty
Basic claims people hold
by virtue of being human.
State authority and independence,
linked to non-intervention.
Justice
Legitimacy
Fair treatment and the distribution
of benefits, burdens and opportunities.
The moral justification
of political authority.
How should we judge a policy when these commitments conflict?
Rawls (1999), Beitz (1979), Erskine (2010)
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7.

A practical dilemma
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT
States must protect populations from genocide, war
crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
2005
UN World Summit
Prevention and assistance
THE ETHICAL DILEMMA
The commitment prioritises prevention,
assistance and peaceful measures.
Who should act,
by what authority,
and at what cost?
Collective action
If peaceful means are inadequate and national authorities
manifestly fail, action runs through the Security Council under the
UN Charter.
UN General Assembly (2005), A/RES/60/1, paragraphs 138–139
R2P provides no general authorisation
for unilateral military intervention.
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8.

Critical perspectives
broaden the debate
Feminist ethics of care
Examines dependency, unequal power and everyday
vulnerability. It asks whose needs dominant theories
overlook.
Postcolonial perspectives
Investigate how colonial histories shape norms. They
ask who defines ethical standards and whose voices
count.
Robinson (2006), Epstein (2014)
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9.

Key conclusions
Normative IR makes the ethical assumptions
of world politics explicit.
Theories disagree about whose interests matter,
how far duties extend and what legitimises authority.
Strong judgements connect moral principles
with evidence and the views of those affected.
DISCUSSION QUESTION
When should duties to humanity outweigh
special duties to fellow citizens?
Erskine (2010), Beitz (1979), Cochran (1999)
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10.

Selected references
Click a work title to open its source
Erskine, T. (2010)
Cochran, M. (1999)
Normative International Relations Theory
Normative Theory in International Relations
Kant, I. (1795)
Robinson, F. (2006)
Perpetual Peace
Methods of feminist normative theory
Walzer, M. (1977)
Epstein, C. (2014)
Just and Unjust Wars
The postcolonial perspective: an introduction
Beitz, C. R. (1979)
United Nations General Assembly (2005)
Political Theory and International Relations
2005 World Summit Outcome
A/RES/60/1, paragraphs 138–139
Rawls, J. (1999)
The Law of Peoples
Full bibliographic details appear in the slide notes
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