Anarchy and International Relations: A Reconsideration

In a recently published special issue of the Journal of International Political Theory, Dr Alex Prichard and Dr Jonathan Havercroft from the University of Southampton aim to take stock of, examine, and reconsider the concept of anarchy, and its place in the study and practice of international relations. They contest mainstream conceptualisations of anarchy by drawing upon original research in political philosophy, medieval history, pluralist theory, history of political thought, and of course, IR theory. The aim is to investigate how differing conceptions of anarchy can advance the study of world politics. 

Their conclusion is that there is a range of ways in which anarchy can be defined, deployed, and perhaps even appropriated by IR theorists, and that ‘the anarchy problématique’ has plenty of life in it yet.

Read the full article.