Polite Anarchy in International Relations Theory (Hardcover)

In the first book-length study of International Relations theory that draws on anarchist thought, "Polite Anarchy" challenges dominant conceptions of anarchy in IR to construct an alternative international theory based on the idea of states as 'anarchists'. Through an innovative contextual historical reevaluation of the ideological uses of politeness in the late-Enlightenment radical philosophy of William Godwin, it develops a theory of how, through diplomatic practices, international anarchy is positively constructed and defended by states to create a wider framework for reimagining inter-state practices as a complex of anarchist subcultures. "Polite Anarchy" will be of interest to scholars and students of international relations, anarchism, intellectual history, political theory, diplomacy and Godwin studies.