Reinhold Niebuhr's ideas about ethics, social justice, and foreign policy have been hugely influential for American political thought, and this has been true across the political spectrum, from progressive social justice activists to neo-conservatives. A one-time leader in the Socialist party, Niebuhr worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to found Americans for Democratic Action. Jimmy Carter took inspiration from his ideas about love and justice, and Barack Obama has
praised him as one of his favorite philosophers. His theories have also influenced neoconservatives, many of whom cited his work to support the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Yet, Niebuhr never published a single,
comprehensive book on his approach to international relations, and, because he was so prolific, one would have to sift through volumes of his work to try to construct such a unified vision. This book distills Niebuhr's disparate and heretofore difficult-to-access work on international relations into one concise and accessible volume. Drawing from the well-springs of Niebuhr's Christian social thought, the volume explores the depths of Niebuhr's views on human nature,
race, collective life, U.S. foreign policy, Just War Theory, Cold War era containment, globalization, and the U.N. It then applies his approach to contemporary foreign policy issues such as the 2003 Iraq
War, the Responsibility to Protect, and the rise of China. The book also considers Niebuhr's contribution to IR theory and contextualizes it in the present day revival of classical Realism with a multivariate, existentialist twist. Ultimately, the book asserts that Niebuhr's notion of a fallible, self-interested view of human nature, his dialectical approach, and a related moral dualism run throughout his work on politics and international relations as they did through the rest of his work.
Reinhold Niebuhr's ideas about ethics, social justice, and foreign policy have been hugely influential for American political thought, and this has been true across the political spectrum, from progressive social justice activists to neo-conservatives. A one-time leader in the Socialist party, Niebuhr worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to found Americans for Democratic Action. Jimmy Carter took inspiration from his ideas about love and justice, and Barack Obama has
praised him as one of his favorite philosophers. His theories have also influenced neoconservatives, many of whom cited his work to support the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Yet, Niebuhr never published a single,
comprehensive book on his approach to international relations, and, because he was so prolific, one would have to sift through volumes of his work to try to construct such a unified vision. This book distills Niebuhr's disparate and heretofore difficult-to-access work on international relations into one concise and accessible volume. Drawing from the well-springs of Niebuhr's Christian social thought, the volume explores the depths of Niebuhr's views on human nature,
race, collective life, U.S. foreign policy, Just War Theory, Cold War era containment, globalization, and the U.N. It then applies his approach to contemporary foreign policy issues such as the 2003 Iraq
War, the Responsibility to Protect, and the rise of China. The book also considers Niebuhr's contribution to IR theory and contextualizes it in the present day revival of classical Realism with a multivariate, existentialist twist. Ultimately, the book asserts that Niebuhr's notion of a fallible, self-interested view of human nature, his dialectical approach, and a related moral dualism run throughout his work on politics and international relations as they did through the rest of his work.
Foreword
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction: Niebuhr's Enduring Relevance
2. Contextualizing Niebuhr: A Biography and a Sketch of His
Intellectual Development
3. Niebuhr on Human Nature
4. Niebuhr on Collective Society, Nations and International
Relations
5. Niebuhr on the UN, Globalization, and the Potential for National
Transcendence
6. Niebuhr on U.S. Policy in the Cold War
7. Niebuhrian Take-Aways on the Just War Tradition and the US
Invasion of Iraq
8. Niebuhrian Take-Aways on Humanitarian Intervention and the
Responsibility to Protect
9. Niebuhrian Take-Aways for the West Regarding the Twenty-first
Century Rise of China
10. Locating Reinhold Niebuhr in Contemporary IR Theory
11. Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
Gregory J. Moore is Head of the School of International Studies at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China; fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies for 2019-20; member of the (U.S.) National Committee on United States-China Relations; and President-elect of the (U.S.-based) Association of Chinese Political Studies.
"An original contribution and accessible text that introduces
Niebuhr to a new generation." -- Caron Gentry, Professor of
International Relations, University of St. Andrews
"This is an effective and comprehensive introduction to an
important theologian that brings neglected aspects of Niebuhrâs
work to light. A nuanced, sophisticated, and interesting read." --
SeÃ!n Molloy, Reader in International Relations, University of
Kent
"Into this milieu where Niebuhr is being quoted right and left and
indeed by the right and the left, Mooreâs book stands as a vivid
introduction to Niebuhr for the student and indeed for anyone
interested in becoming familiar with his thought." -- Daniel
Philpott, Professor of Political Science, University of Notre
Dame
"Reinhold Niebuhr remains a figure of enduring interest and
importance in the study of global politics. Gregory Moore's fine
study illustrates with skill and insight exactly why this is the
case, and how Niebuhr continues to be one of the most insightful
and essential guides for thinking about the past, present, and
future." -- Michael C. Williams, Professor of Public and
International Affairs, University of Ottawa
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