One World or Many? Critical Reflections on Cosmopolitanism and International Relations

Abstract

Cosmopolitanism has come to represent a wide spectrum of positions within IR theory over the decades, from the anti-utopianism and internationalism of the Cold War liberals to the ongoing debate on institutions of global governance. The article charts this intellectual trajectory and sets itself two key questions. Firstly, to what extent has the emphasis on shared values and collective action challenged set perspectives within IR theory? Secondly, has this value orientation led to any fundamental rethinking of what constitutes the international domain (i.e. blurring of the internal-external divide), the scale of politics (i.e. towards a multi-level governance approach) and the unit type (i.e. recognising the role of non-state actors)? The article critically examines the extent to which cosmopolitanism is willing to deal with the existing matrix of actors, institutions and processes in world politics. It argues that the approach will have to offer a robust theory of the state in order to better operationalise its notion of a moral community.