The English School, International Relations, and Progress1

Abstract

This essay evaluates the English School—a prominent approach to the study of international relations—as a “research enterprise” (James 2002). Our exploration begins with an introduction of a “continuum of aggregation” that conveys a given research enterprise, such as the English School, at different conceptual levels. The English School's axioms along with its negative and positive heuristics are identified and evaluated based on the classics and more recent works from Wight, Bull, and others. Conclusions and prospects for further development of the English School complete the review.

Latin American Thinking in International Relations Reloaded

“…As is the requisite in science, we do not want to build those indicators ex nihilo. This is why I will follow the analytical sequence proposed by Devlen, James and Özdamar in their 2005 evaluation of the English School (Devlen, James and Özdamar, 2005) and then apply it to the Latin American case 3 . For sure, the assessment done here will only stand as a first attempt, and is in no way exhaustive.…”

Andrey Makarychev, Russian Identities and the Idea of International Society 20 Years after the Fall of the USSR

“…On the one hand, "the English school and constructivism are linked by an emphasis on the power of ideas to affect change. " 35 In fact, Wendt resorts to the concept of IS as an example of "social systems" or "social kinds" 36 which give meaning to ideas held on the state level and, I would add, within the state as well. On the other hand, the concept of IS resonates well with the idea of the international which, in interpretation of R.B.J.Walker, connotes with a set of legitimate and widely accepted rules that modern political subjects adhere to.…”

La seguridad regional y el papel de los Estados débiles. Una aproximación teórica

“…Parmi les principales études sur la sécurité régionale, on peut trouver la Théorie des Complexes Régionaux de Sécurité (TCRS), qui a été développée par Barry Buzan et Ole Waever au sein de l'École de Copenhague; et qui peut être comprise comme une dialectique entre le réalisme, l'idéalisme et le constructivisme (Devlen, James et Özdamar, 2005).…”