Moralizing International Relations Called to Account [Hardcover]

The end of the cold war has paved the way for a series of moral claims that force institutions such as States, International Organizations of Multinationals to justify themselves. What is the effect of this phenomenon on the international relations of the 1990s and beyond.Introduction PART I: A MORAL BREAK? The 1990s Is There any Shame in Being Cynically Realist? PART II: MORALITY IN ACTION The Re-enchanted Critique of Capitalism What Justice for Economic Sanctions? Can Reparation be Made for Historical Injustices? The Fear of Accountability and Calculating the Incalculable PART III: THE TWO CHALLENGES Shared Responsibility Does Cosmopolitanism Have a Future? Conclusion: Pragmatic Revolutionism

Combining philosophical depth with topical urgency, the highly original voice of Ariel Colonomos calls for a pragmatic cosmopolitanism in international politics, steering between the twin evils of a cramped realism and the twisted moralism of post-September 11 American unilateralism. At a time when everyone is looking for better ways to integrate practicality with ideals in foreign policy, this book offers stimulating insights to aid that search.

- Jack Snyder, Robert and Ren?e Belfer Professor of International Relations, Columbia University

How has the ethics of international relations been transformed since the fall of the Berlin Wall? Ariel Colonomos takes up the question of how the various actors in the international system - whether nation-states, international organizations, or multinational corporations - can be held responsible for their actions. This book is distinguished in international ethics by its interdisciplinarity and the fruitful dialogue it engenders between empirically-based social scientific research and the range of normative theories that apply to this crucial domain of contemporary life. In this important work, Colonomos develops an original perspective on decisive ethical issues in current international l“.