The War Over Perpetual Peace

This book examines the various competing interpretations of Kant's foundational Perpetual Peace since its initial publication in the late eighteenth-century. According to Easley's analysis, there are two patterns of interpretations: 1) the text endorses peace proposals above the state level, 2) the text is in favour of peace proposals at the state level. The principal explanation for these two patterns resides in the rise and fall of hopes for peace through international organizations. It can also be attributed to the rise in the number of liberal states over time. Eric Easley provides a comprehensive historical background and analytical framework for understanding Perpetual Peace, allowing scholars of international relations to better understand and appreciate its complex meaning and see beyond the conventionally accepted interpretations of the day.

Autorentext

ERIC S. EASLEY joined the U.S. Foreign Service after receiving a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Inhalt

Introduction PART 1: KANT'S PERPETUAL PEACE: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE TEXT, INTERPRETATIONS, AND PATTERNS The Textual Hooks of Interpretation PART 2: PEACE PROPOSALS ABOVE THE STATE LEVEL Reining in State Sovereignty: Interpretations From the Mid Nineteenth-Century to the End of WW1 State Sovereignty Curbed: Interpretations From the End of WW1 to the Mid 20th Century PART 3: PEACE PROPOSALS AT THE STATE LEVEL In Defense of State Sovereignty: Interpretations from the 1950s to the Early 1980s State Sovereignty Preserved I: A New Interpretation Takes Shape in the Early 1980s State Sovereignty Preserved II: Into the 1990s, the State-Centric Reading and Its Emphasis on the First Definitive Article Solidifies State Sovereignty Preserved III: Accent on the First Definitive Article Through the End of the 20th Century PART 4: SHIFTING HOPER, SHIFTING PATTERNS Pattern Formation as a Function of the Rise and Decline of Hopes for Peace Through International Organization From the Turmoil of International Anarchy to the Calm of the Liberal Peace Epilogue