Routledge Diplomacy and Ideology: From the French Revolution to the Digital Age (Routledge New Diplomacy Studies)

This innovative new book argues that diplomacy, which emerged out of the French Revolution, has become one of the central Ideological State Apparatuses of the modern democratic nation-state. The book is divided into four thematic parts. The first presents the central concepts and theoretical perspectives derived from the work of Slavoj Žižek, focusing on his understanding of politics, ideology, and the core of the conceptual apparatus of Lacanian psychoanalysis. There then follow three parts treating diplomacy as archi-politics, ultra-politics, and post-politics, respectively highlighting three eras of the modern history of diplomacy from the French Revolution until today. The first part takes on the question of the creation of the term ‘diplomacy’, which took place during the time of the French Revolution. The second part begins with the effects on diplomacy arising from the horrors of the two World Wars. Finally, the third part covers another major shift in Western diplomacy during the last century, the fall of the Soviet Union, and how this transformation shows itself in the field of Diplomacy Studies. The book argues that diplomacy’s primary task is not to be understood as negotiating peace between warring parties, but rather to reproduce the myth of the state’s unity by repressing its fundamental inconsistencies. This book will be of much interest to students of diplomacy studies, political theory, philosophy, and International Relations. Review "David Cerny shows in this book that there are several formulations of the principle of double effect, and that they need to be distinguished if we wish to think more carefully about good or possibly good acts that have bad consequences. He presents a novel defense against various objections that have been raised against it. His analysis of the principle's historical context and development allows him to shed new light on the various distinctions presupposed by its correct understanding and use." - Thomas M. Osborne Jr., Chair, Department of Philosophy, University of St. Thomas, USA "David Černý's monograph is authoritative, imaginative, and cutting-edge. It is the only work I know of that sheds light on the intellectual origins of the principle of double effect and relates them to the contemporary debate in a manner that dispels misunderstandings and advances our understanding or the principle. The 'Principle of Double Effect' could easy be the standard book on the topic for the next ten or twenty years and both students and specialists will learn much from it." - George Pavlakos, Professor of Law and Philosophy, University of Glasgow, UK "The Doctrine of Double Effect is one of the most important principles in applied ethics yet, at the same time, one of the most puzzling. In his book, David Černý offers a combination of an historical and an analytical analysis in order to clarify and explain it. His book is compulsory reading for anybody interested in ethical theory and in applied ethics." - Professor Daniel Statman, Chair, Dept. of Philosophy, University of Haifa, Israel "The Doctrine of Double Effect is a mainstay of non-consequentialist moral thinking, yet remains misunderstood, and fundamental doubts about it are widespread. In this splendid and path-breaking book, David Cerny does more than has ever been done before to uncover the historical origins of this view, to explore its different formulations, and to defend the reasoning behind it. This is a rare achievement, a genuine contribution to analytic ethical theory and applied moral philosophy, and at the same time an exemplary model of the relevance of the history of ideas to philosophy." - Saul Smilansky, Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Haifa, Israel About the Author Alexander Stagnell is a Senior Lecturer at Södertörn University, Sweden.