Eternal peace, perpetual war? A critical investigation into Kant's conceptualisations of war

Behnke, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5575-6927 (2012) Eternal peace, perpetual war? A critical investigation into Kant's conceptualisations of war. Journal of International Relations and Development, 15 (2). pp. 250-271. ISSN 1581-1980 doi: 10.1057/jird.2011.23

Abstract/Summary

Most discussions of Immanuel Kant's political theory of international politics focus on his work on Eternal Peace and its normative and empirical relevance for contemporary international relations and international law. Yet for all his concern with peace, Kant's work is characterised by a fascinating preoccupation with the concept of war and its role in human history. The purpose of this essay is to investigate critically Kant's different conceptualisations of war and to evaluate his writing as a critique against contemporary versions of Liberal war and peace, as well as recent attempts to reduce war to an immanent logic of biopolitics.