Réflexions sur la théorie des relations internationales - article ; n°3 ; vol.64, pg 467-490

Thierry De Montbrial

Description

Politique étrangère - Année 1999 - Volume 64 - Numéro 3 - Pages 467-490
Reflections on the Theory of International Relations, by Thierry de Montbrial The field of international relations is concerned mainly with public policies (in all their aspects) and their coordination on a global scale. The author starts out from a narrow définition of international relations — like those of R. Aron and K. Waltz — and successively expands it to accommodate reality more accurately. He feels that this approach, which is realist in origin, is preferable to one that results from too broad a definition of the discipline. But he adopts this remark by S.M. Walt: Realism does not explain every-thing and an enlightened leader would be well advised to keep in mind the existence of other paradigms. The analysis of the international System is broadly based on the very general notion of security, which is akin to that of public good and the concept of identity, which broadly gives rise to that of national interest. The author shows how the problem of the security of an individual political entity meshes with that of the stability of the international System as a whole. He also shows how objectives and strategies may often be connected with a perception of the necessity of acting in the face of possible crises. The second part is devoted mainly to an examination of epistemological issues. In the author's view, a theory worthy of the name must have a certain predictive power and be verifiable both by reasoning and by experimental critique. It can only ever be partial. Ideological intellectual constructs are all too often called theory, although they may in some cases have the merit of inspiring more limited and more operational theories, and of providing material for the philosophy of history.
Plus encore que les autres sciences sociales, les relations internationales sont caractérisées par un décalage assez net entre le monde de la théorie et celui de l'action. Partant de ce constat, Thierry de Montbrial fait le point sur l'état actuel de la réflexion théorique sur les relations internationales qui, sous l'impulsion des événements de ces vingt dernières années, s'est fortement développée. Loin de lui, cependant, l'idée de se limiter à un survol objectif des travaux de recherche réalisés : l'auteur procède à un examen critique susceptible d'animer le débat.
24 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Informations

• Publié par: POLITIQUE_ETRANGERE
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1999
• Nombre de lectures: 92
• Langue: Français
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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