Representation, recognition and foreign policy in the Iran–US relationship

Duncombe, Constance

doi:10.1177/1354066115597049

Cited by 33 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…If empathy is to instigate a process of de‐escalation, then it should not just entail realizing that the other person is angry, but it must entail the act of reflecting upon why they are angry as well. Knowing, for instance, that Iranian leaders feel historically disrespected by the United States (Duncombe, ) is related but also fundamentally distinct to actively contemplating why this is the case. For this, an actor must consider the cultural, historical, and political context in which these feelings are embedded and expressed.…”

Section: Locating Empathy In Security Dilemma Theorizingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Empathic Foundations of Security Dilemma De‐escalation

Baker

2019

Political Psychology

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Security dilemma theorists have long recognized the importance of empathy to the de-escalation of conflict between actors caught in security dilemma dynamics, but they have left empathy undertheorized and have neglected to recognize its deeply contested nature. This article responds to this omission by bringing multidisciplinary literature on empathy to bear on security dilemma thinking. Contrary to some contemporary empathy research that draws attention to its automatic, unconscious, and intuitive properties, the article highlights the deliberate, effortful, and reflexive capacity to empathize across complex social contexts such as security dilemma dynamics. It shows how empathy of this kind can lead actors to moderate their positions on key issues at the heart of a conflict, reinterpret their interests, and broaden the zone of possible agreement between themselves and an adversary. The article demonstrates these notions empirically by locating empathy within the de-escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran between 2009 and 2016. Drawing on primary interview material with former U.S. officials, the argument is made that the development of specific empathic capacities by key U.S. officials played an important and unrecognized role in the de-escalation of security dilemma dynamics between the United States and Iran.

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Section: Locating Empathy In Security Dilemma Theorizingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Empathic Foundations of Security Dilemma De‐escalation

Baker

2019

Political Psychology

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“…In empirical terms, (mis)recognition as a driver for state behaviour in world politics has been mostly applied to the study of the causes of inter-state war 36 and grievances about disrespect by 'prickly states', 37 including the latter's impact on hostile bilateral relationships. 38 It thus focuses predominantly on the negative side of the coin. As a counterpoint, the most unabashed optimist in this discipline has been Wendt, who used Hegel's dialectic and the divide-overcoming view of struggles for recognition to argue that the system of states would be inevitably transforming into a single world state.…”

Section: The Journey Of Recognition From Philosophy To Ir and Peacebumentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), Transnational Dynamics of Civil War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013). 13 John Gerring, 'The Mechanismic Worldview: Thinking inside the Box', British Journal of Political Science, 38 The remainder of the article proceeds in four steps. First, a review is made of the journey of recognition theory from Hegelian philosophy through critical theory to IR and peacebuilding, identifying also the biases and blind spots of each of these strands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bottom-up change in frozen conflicts: Transnational struggles and mechanisms of recognition in Western Sahara

Fernández-Molina

2019

Rev. Int. Stud.

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This article proposes a typology of causal mechanisms whereby transnational relations of recognition constitute conflict actors in frozen conflicts. While the agency of an emerging conflict actor manifests itself in ‘struggles for recognition’ motivated by experiences of ‘disrespect’, responses from different significant others vary in terms of motivations and pathways (mechanisms of recognition). Adapting Honneth’s tripartite division, the typology distinguishes between four forms of recognition: thin cognitive recognition, ‘respect’/rights, ‘esteem’/difference, and ‘love’/empathy. Three transnational corrections are made in order to include transnational relations of recognition, non-state actors, and unstructured social-relational forms of international/transnational recognition. The typology is applied to the conflict of Western Sahara, which has been reshaped by the rise of internal Sahrawi pro-independence groups (based inside the territory annexed by Morocco) as an increasingly relevant conflict actor, with their identity shifting from victims to human rights activists to activists involved in an unsolved conflict. This identity and social-status formation has been the product of transnational recognition from three significant others: the annexing state (Morocco), the contested state-in-exile (SADR), and the international community. The overall effect of intermingling recognition processes, including various instrumental initiatives deprived of mutuality, has been increased struggle and conflict complexity rather than ‘recognitional peace’.

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“…In a related vein, Duncanson and Eschle (2008) use feminist analysis to highlight the identity contradictions in British nuclear policy. Examining discourse and representation gives us greater insight into both Iranian nuclear policy (Moshirzadeh, 2007) and Iranian nuclear diplomacy (Duncombe, 2016).…”

Section: The Current Landscape Of Critical Nuclear Politics Scholarshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nuclear norms in global governance: A progressive research agenda

Rublee

Cohen

2018

Contemporary Security Policy

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We argue that the framework of norms has generated a progressive research agenda in the field of global nuclear politics, providing important insights that traditional realist and materialist analyses ignore or dismiss. These insights are not on the margins of nuclear politics; rather, they answer central questions about nuclear non-use, possession, and the nonproliferation regime at large. These findings are not a fluke; instead, they stem from the powerful analytical framework of norms, which provides complexes of linked propositions about actor expectations and behavior in global nuclear politics. This article examines three of those propositions: the importance of the logic of appropriateness, the role of norm contestation, and the changes brought about by norm entrepreneurs. Finally, we identify other norms-related ideas that can further illuminate the dire policy crises facing global nuclear governance, as well as specific areas of nuclear politics that would benefit from norms-related scrutiny.Contemporary global nuclear politics face serious strains and major challenges. At the heart of those challenges are contesting normative claims about the legitimate exercise of state power, the (un)importance of treaty obligations, and even what "security" and "stability" mean. Without rejecting the utility of some realist, materialist, or quantitative analyses in untangling issues related to nuclear politics, we assert-in defiance of traditional wisdom-that ideas about appropriate conduct as well as justice and fairness are central to those challenges.In this introductory article to the special issue, we argue that the use of norms in understanding global nuclear governance provides a progressive, productive, and fast-growing research agenda to understand contemporary global nuclear politics, yielding an "overarching analytical framework that

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Representation, recognition and foreign policy in the Iran–US relationship

Cited by 33 publications

References 33 publications

The Empathic Foundations of Security Dilemma De‐escalation

The Empathic Foundations of Security Dilemma De‐escalation

Bottom-up change in frozen conflicts: Transnational struggles and mechanisms of recognition in Western Sahara

Nuclear norms in global governance: A progressive research agenda

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