| Titre | Réflexions sur la théorie des relations internationales | |
|---|---|---|
| Auteur | Thierry de Montbrial | |
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Revue | Politique étrangère |
| Numéro | vol. 64, no 3, 1999 | |
| Rubrique / Thématique | 1979-1999. Vingt ans de relations internationales |
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| Page | 467-490 | |
| Mots-clés (matière) | histoire des idées relations internationales sécurité théorie | |
| Résumé |
Plus encore que les autres sciences sociales, les relations internationales sont caractérisées par un décalage assez net entre le monde de la théorie et celui de l'action. Partant de ce constat, Thierry de Montbrial fait le point sur l'état actuel de la réflexion théorique sur les relations internationales qui, sous l'impulsion des événements de ces vingt dernières années, s'est fortement développée. Loin de lui, cependant, l'idée de se limiter à un survol objectif des travaux de recherche réalisés : l'auteur procède à un examen critique susceptible d'animer le débat. Source : Éditeur (via Persée) |
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| Résumé anglais |
Reflections on the Theory of International Relations, by Thierry de Montbrial The field of international relations is concerned mainly with public policies (in all their aspects) and their coordination on a global scale. The author starts out from a narrow définition of international relations — like those of R. Aron and K. Waltz — and successively expands it to accommodate reality more accurately. He feels that this approach, which is "realist" in origin, is preferable to one that results from too broad a definition of the discipline. But he adopts this remark by S.M. Walt: "Realism does not explain every-thing and an enlightened leader would be well advised to keep in mind the existence of other paradigms". The analysis of the international System is broadly based on the very general notion of security, which is akin to that of public good and the concept of identity, which broadly gives rise to that of national interest. The author shows how the problem of the security of an individual political entity meshes with that of the stability of the international System as a whole. He also shows how objectives and strategies may often be connected with a perception of the necessity of acting in the face of possible crises. The second part is devoted mainly to an examination of epistemological issues. In the author's view, a theory worthy of the name must have a certain predictive power and be verifiable both by reasoning and by experimental critique. It can only ever be partial. Ideological intellectual constructs are all too often called "theory", although they may in some cases have the merit of inspiring more limited and more operational theories, and of providing material for the philosophy of history. Source : Éditeur (via Persée) |
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| Article en ligne | http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/polit_0032-342x_1999_num_64_3_4876 |
