Realism Tamed or Liberalism Betrayed? Dystopic Liberalism and the International Order

Abstract

That liberal political theory has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence in the latter part of the twentieth century will not, I suppose, be challenged by anyone who has even a nodding acquaintance with the intellectual history of the last 50 years.¹ In Anglo-American circles, at least, liberal thought is now the dominant voice and even in parts of the “European” world where, 50 years ago, liberalism was the political theory that dared not speak its name, it has risen to prominence (Lilla, 1996). Even those critical of liberal thought — as much post-structurally inclined theory of course is — often take their starting points from liberal claims or use liberal ideas as a peg on which to hang their own thoughts, however critical they may be; a sign, as Gramsci would have been quick to remark, of “hegemony”, if ever there was one (Honig, 1993).