Polite Anarchy in International Relations Theory

An innovative re-evaluation of the concept of anarchy in theorizing diplomacy between states which draws on a historically sensitive re-evaluation of the ideological uses of politeness in the anarchist thought of William Godwin.

"Kazmi offers one of the best recent historical accounts of Godwin's political thought" - David Armitage, Perspectives on Politics

"Though international relations scholarship has for many years emphasised the 'anarchic' character of the international system there has been very little discussion of that political philosophy that most reflects on anarchy as a political category - anarchism. Brilliantly rectifying this gap, Zaheer Kazmi offers us a subtle and penetrating reading of the 'father of anarchism' - William Godwin - emphasising the significance of Godwin's focus on politeness, and turns what is already an innovative exercise in intellectual history into a major theoretical departure within International Relations. A superb study." - Nicholas Rengger, Professor of Political Theory and International Relations, University of St. Andrews

"An innovative and significant contribution to international political theory that demonstrates the liberating possibility of anarchy. Toward this end, Kazmi mobilizes Godwin's concept of politeness and develops a constructivist account of state behavior." - Richard Ned Lebow, Professor of International Political Theory, War Studies, King's College London

"Kazmi provides the first sustained analysis of William Godwin's contribution to theories of international and inter-state relations as well as a lucid and penetrating account of the wider issues often ignored in the secondary literature, namely how such relations can be conceived within a broadly 'anarchist' context. The result is a sophisticated marriage of IR theory with a nuanced historical account of British political thought in the 1790s." - Gregory Claeys, Professor of History, Royal Holloway, University of London

"Kazmi's fine book is a scrupulous and lucid account of one of Britain's most important eighteenth-century political writers. Polite Anarchy is a marvellous fusion of archival research and political theory, illuminated by historical and literary context. It is a provocative work of intellectual history which adds further resonance to the growing interest in Godwin's thought and writings." - David O'Shaughnessy, Assistant Professor in Eighteenth-Century Studies, Trinity College Dublin

"By tracing the origins of notions of anarchy, sociability and liberty, Zaheer Kazmi demonstrates that careful scholarship in the history of the ideas can radically change our attitudes to the core concepts of international relations theory. It is a bold and original study that will demand wide attention in the field." - Marc Stears, Professor of Political Theory, University of Oxford

ZAHEER KAZMI is ESRC Mid-Career Fellow at the Faculty of History, University of Oxford, UK. He was formerly a senior research analyst at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a senior associate member of St Antony's College, Oxford. He is the co-editor of Contextualizing Jihadi Thought (2012).