Republicanism within IR: A History of Liberty and Empire
| Date | 01 September 2019 |
| Published date | 01 September 2019 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0305829819872807 |
| Author | Kevin Blachford |
| Subject Matter | Original Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0305829819872807
Millennium: Journal of
International Studies
2019, Vol. 48(1) 25 –44
© The Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/0305829819872807
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Republicanism within IR: A
History of Liberty and Empire
Kevin Blachford
Baltic Defence College, Estonia
Abstract
The republican tradition has long been influential within political theory, but has been less
acknowledged within the discipline of International Relations (IR). Republican theorists and
republican ideas of political liberty underlie many normative claims made by both liberal and
realist schools of thought. The following examination of republicanism takes an interdisciplinary
approach to argue the relevance of republicanism for IR theory. When republicanism is recognised
within IR, it is often through a triumphalist reading of the early American republic and its founding.
This article opens new ground by presenting a more critical account of republicanism. It does
so by focusing on the connections between republican liberty and the history of republics to
dominate those outside the polis.
Keywords
republicanism, empire, IR theory
El republicanismo en el ámbito de las relaciones internacionales: Una
historia de libertad e imperio
Resumen
La tradición republicana ha tenido durante mucho tiempo una gran influencia en el marco de la
teoría política, pero ha recibido menor reconocimiento en el ámbito de las RRII. Los teóricos
republicanos y las ideas republicanas de libertad política subyacen a muchas afirmaciones
prescriptivas de las escuelas de pensamiento liberales y realistas. El siguiente artículo adopta una
perspectiva interdisciplinar para examinar cómo se emplean los conceptos del republicanismo en
el contexto de la teoría de las RRII. Cuando se contempla el republicanismo dentro del ámbito de
las RRII, a menudo se emplea una óptica triunfalista de la primera república estadounidense y de
su fundación. Por consiguiente, no se reconoce la historia del imperio republicano al tiempo que
la vinculación entre la libertad interna y la dominación externa sigue sin ser objeto de suficiente
Corresponding author:
Kevin Blachford, Tallinn University, Narva maantee 25, Tallinn 10120, Estonia.
Email: kevin.blachford@baltdefcol.org
872807MIL0010.1177/0305829819872807Millennium: Journal of International StudiesBlachford
research-article2019
Original Article
26 Millennium: Journal of International Studies 48(1)
1. Existing before the development of the modern nation state, republican thought was con-
cerned with the polis as a body of citizens.
2. This article follows the Atlantic republican tradition, which traces early modern republi-
canism from the Italian Renaissance to the Early United States. See J.G.A. Pocock, The
Machiavellian Moment: Florentine Political Thought and the Atlantic Republican Tradition
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975).
3. Quentin Skinner, Liberty before Liberalism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1998).
teorización. Este documento abre nuevos horizontes teóricos al presentar un relato más crítico
del republicanismo. Lo presenta centrándose en los nexos entre la libertad republicana y la
historia de las repúblicas en sus intentos por dominar a los que quedan fuera de la polis.
Palabras clave
republicanismo, imperio, relaciones internacionales
Le républicanisme dans les relations internationales : Une histoire de la
liberté et de l’empire
Résumé
La tradition républicaine exerce depuis longtemps une forte influence en théorie politique, mais
son importance est moins reconnue dans le domaine des relations internationales. Les théoriciens
républicains et les idées républicains de la liberté politique sont à la base de nombreuses affirmations
normatives émanant des écoles de pensée aussi bien libérale que réaliste. L'article qui suit adopte
une approche interdisciplinaire pour examiner le rôle du républicanisme en théorie des relations
internationales. Quand une place est accordée au républicanisme dans les RI, c'est souvent à travers
une lecture triomphaliste des premiers temps de la république américaine et de sa fondation. L'histoire
de l'empire républicain est ainsi passée sous silence, et le lien entre la liberté interne et la domination
externe pâtit d’un manque de théorisation. Cet article ouvre de nouvelles perspectives en présentant
une vision plus critique du républicanisme. Pour ce faire, il met l'accent sur les liens entre la liberté
républicaine et l'histoire de la domination des républiques sur ceux qui n’appartiennent pas à la polis.
Mots-clés
républicanisme, empire, relations internationales
Introduction
The development of International Relations (IR) as an academic discipline has an under-
acknowledged link with the history of republican polities and the legacy of republican
thought. Republicanism is a theory centred on the goal of securing political liberty and
freedom for the polis.1 It exists as both a discursive tradition in political thought and as an
experience based on the historical practice of veritable polities, such as the city states of
Venice and Florence, the English Commonwealth, the Dutch United Provinces, and the
early United States.2 The republican tradition is under-recognised by IR, but has long been
influential within the discipline of political theory. Contemporary republicanism is under-
stood by political theorists as a broad school of thought that represents common themes of
civic virtue, liberty for the public sphere and the active participation of republican citizens.3
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