Artikler

Indhold nr. 4, årgang 12, 2009

The Nines - International Relations Classics reappraised

Norman Angell: Europe's Optical Illusion(1909)

by Torbjørn Knutsen

John Maynard Keynes: The Economic Consequences of the Peace (1919)

by Wesley W. Widmaier

Gilbert Murray: The Ordeal of this Generation (1929)by Peter Wilson

E.H. Carr: The twenty Years' Crisis (1939)

by Peter Wilson

John H. Herz: International Politics in the Atomic Age (1959)

by Casper Sylvest

Kenneth Waltz: Man, the State and War (1959)

by Anders Wivel

James Der Derian & Michael J. Shapiro: International/Intertextual Relations (1989)

by Nicholas Onuf

Alexander Wendt: Social Theory of International Politics (1999)

by Karin Fierke

Richard Ned Lebow: A Cultural Theory of International Relations (2009)

by Paul Kowert

Concluding remarks

by Iver B. Neumann

 

 

 

 

“Look for the Nines” – that is what Ryan Reynolds’ character, Gary, is told in the 2007 movie ‘The Nines’. As soon as he does, he sees them everywhere, and they turn out to be the key to his conundrums in this Donnie Darko-style movie. Even though this advice was given in an entirely different context, it apparently applies just as much to International Relations (IR) literature.

 

Is the turn of a decade predestined for great books about international politics? Does the combined experience of a decade provide the basis for new arguments that guide the ideas of the next one? Or is it all just pure coincidence? The basic idea of this issue is to present you with an invitation to either revisit these standards of IR or go out and pick them up for the first time. There is a reason why they all are considered highlights in the literature on international politics, and our aim is to show you why. The authors, who are all experts on the books they write on, were given the freest hand in tackling them. This makes for quite an eclectic mix of articles in approach, style and tone, but this was exactly what we aimed for: This issue was conceived in a light-hearted spirit, and these articles continue in this way, not least by often adding a personal note to their reappraisals.

All of the books represented here have shaped – in one way or another – the history of IR. Some are still required readings on many a syllabus; some have dropped off, but their influence is still felt in their schools of thought. What they all have in common, however, is that they warrant another look as their arguments might provide the key to the questions and problems of international politics in the 21st century. In this sense, the original meaning of the term, ‘a classic’, is that it is not only a defining piece at the time of its release, but that it has a certain timelessness: A classic’s relevance and importance reaches far beyond its day and age.

 

We sincerely hope that the exciting contributions of this issue – yes, you read it right – convince you to flip through the pages of these mainstays of IR literature – no matter how dusty they might seem.

 

So please: explore and enjoy!