Internationalism And Its Betrayal

Synopsis

In the post-Cold War era, the notion that democratic nations might seek to extend democracy and human rights abroad is receiving new attention. Yet, the spectre of nationalism is also haunting the world and threatening to extinguish the spirit of internationalism. The history of liberalism is characterized by an attempt to unify these conflicting drives. Internationalism and its Betrayal explores the tensions and contradictions between ideas of nationalism and internationalism as they played themselves out through the major political thinkers from the early modern period into the 19th century. Ishay examines the writings of Vico, Grotius, Rousseau, Kant, Paine, Robespierre, Burke, Fichte, de Maistre and Hegel. While internationalism is typically understood as being diametrically opposed to nationalism, Ishay argues to the contrary, maintaining that internationalism often incorporates an individualistic element that manifests itself as nationalism during critical periods such as war. The UN/US/West handling of the situation in Bosnia provides a pertinent, current example. Internationalism and its Betrayal speaks to an audience of those interested in the spread of democracy, students of human rights, historians of the French Revolution and political theorists.