The Global Covenant

Book excerpt: The Global Covenant is a ground-breaking work by one of the leading scholars in international relations that rejuvenates the classical international society approach, and brings it into contact with the new era of world politics. It is a major study of international society that presents a comprehensive analysis of international peace and security, war and intervention, human rights, failed states, territories and boundaries, and democracy. It contemplates the future of international society in the 21st century. It is also a major attempt to justify the world-wide state system as a foundation of political freedom. - ;The Global Covernant is a ground-breaking work by one of the leading scholars in international relations that rejuvenates the classical international society approach, and brings it into contact with the new era of world politics. It investigates the most important international issues of our time, including peace and security, war and intervention, human rights, failed states, territories and boundaries, and democracy. It draws on a family of closely related disciplines: diplomatic and military history, international legal studies, and international political theory. It addresses basic methodological questions and presents the elements of a human sciences approach to the study of world politics. It contemplates the future of international society in the 21st century. The Global Covenant concludes by justifying the pluralist society of sovereign states as one that respects human diversity and upholds human freedom. - ;Robert Jackson's The Global Covenant ought to rank among the most distinctive and important books of international relations theory written by a Canadian scholar ... it has much to teach those who think and teach within the discipline - Canadian Journal of Political Science;Comprehensive and well researched ... The Global Covenant defends the pluralist view of international society very well - The Ethnic Conflict Research Digest