4 hours and counting.....
Well with 4 hours left before this thing is finally due in, I am now kicking though it and trying to refine things.
Hopefully I'll be able to get some feed back on my draft so that I can fix it up.
My desire is that any person should be able to read that and understand where the piece is heading.
Please, I want to have feedback about this, especially if things aren't clear. Don't presume that just because you don't study in the area that the fault lies with you and not my writing.
Here is the draft introduction:
Death and Rebirth
The discourse of International Relations Theory
"International theory is in a state of disarray. In the past decade, the three-centuries-long intellectual consensus which organised philosophical speculation, guided empirical research and provided at least hypothetical answers to the critical questions about international politics, has broken down." (K.J. Holsti, p1 The Dividing Discipline)
This remark from K.J. Holsti is a reaction to an event, the Third Debate, that occurred within the field of International Relations Theory, (IRT) spread between the last two decades of the 20th century. Holsti reflects upon the positive value of the consensus that has defined and shaped IRT in the past but posits that it is now lost to the field. Holsti naturally draws attention to his own perception but it is important to not forget the phantom that parallels his statement, the cause of this 'breakdown' in IRT. Given this, perhaps it is better to see this event as a tale of two stories in parallel that reflect different judgements about an event (the Third Debate) in IRT. The first story tells of the death of IRT, as Holsti understands it. It is an unsettling vision of IRT, populated with themes of disorder, uncertainty and chaos. The second story tells us of the rebirth of a discipline, the beginning of a renaissance in IRT. While this story is imbued with necessary caution, it is relieved at the opening up of IRT, at the chance to ask a greater variety of questions about International Relations. The tale of these two stories will be told and their connection discussed.
