International Security in Practice: The Politics of NATO-Russia Diplomacy

Streaming video requires RealPlayer to view.The University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history.Vincent Pouliot is assistant professor of political science at McGill University. His research and teaching interests include International Relations theory (especially international political sociology), international security and peace research, global governance and international organizations, interpretive methodology, and philosophy of social science. Pouliot's current research projects deal with the reform of the UN Security Council, the global governance of security, and NATO-Russia relations. He is the author of International Security in Practice: The Politics of NATO-Russia Diplomacy (Cambridge University Press, 2010). He is also co-editor with Markus Kornprobst, Nisha Shah, and Ruben Zaiottiwith of Metaphors of Globalization: Mirrors, Magicians and Mutinies (Palgrave, 2008). Pouliot was awarded the 2009 Vincent Lemieux Prize by the Canadian Political Science Association for the best dissertation in political science. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto.Ohio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesEvent Web page, streaming video, event photo

Reconstructing World Politics: Norms, Discourse, and Community

This Article argues that the conventional (rationalist) approach to world politics characterized by political bargain cannot fully capture the new social reality under the contemporary global ambience where ideational factors such as ideas, values, culture, and norms have become more salient and influential not only in explaining but also in prescribing state behaviors. After bringing rationalism’s paradigmatic limitations into relief, the Article offers a sociological framework that highlights a reflective, intersubjective communication among states and consequent norm-building process. Under this new paradigm, one can understand an international organization as a “community” (Gemeinschaft), not as a mere contractual instrument of its contracting parties (Gesellschaft). The Article applies the new paradigm to the World Trade Organization (WTO) as it describes the WTO’s institutional evolution from a power-oriented, tariff-reducing contract to a norm-oriented world trade community

Storytelling in den Vereinten Nationen: Mahbub ul Haq und menschliche Entwicklung

Ausgehend von der Beobachtung, dass Mitarbeiter der Vereinten Nationen eine wichtige Rolle in Prozessen des ideellen Wandels auf internationaler Ebene spielen können, beschäftigt sich dieser Beitrag mit einer bestimmten Form individuellem Einflusses – dem storytelling. Mein Verständnis von storytelling als Einflusstaktik kombiniert dabei kollektive Elemente der soziologischen Praxistheorie mit den reflexiven, akteursbezogenen Überlegungen von Michel de Certeau. Ich analysiere storytelling anhand von drei analytischen Elementen: einem (chronologischen) Plot, einer Reihe von Charakteren und einem interpretativen Thema – die jeweils ihre Wirkung im Zusammenspiel mit der Subjektivität ihres storytellers entfalten. Ich illustriere diese theoretischen Überlegungen mit dem Fall von Mahbub ul Haq, dem es als Sonderberater des United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-Administrators zu Beginn der 1990er Jahre gelungen ist, die Idee der menschlichen Entwicklung im System der Vereinten Nationen und der internationalen Entwicklungspolitik zu etablieren

La logique du praticable dans le rétroviseur

Trois principaux arguments sont avancés en réponse aux textes critiques qui précèdent. Premièrement, loin de réfuter l’importance de la réflexivité, la logique du praticable en souligne les ressorts inarticulés. Même les tactiques diplomatiques les plus calculées reposent sur des savoir-faire incarnés qui, s’ils font rarement l’objet de discussions, n’en produisent pas moins des effets structurants. Deuxièmement, expliquer le changement et les événements extraordinaires forme un défi qui n’est pas hors de la portée analytique de la logique du praticable. Au contraire, les écarts de conduite et les transformations du sens commun découlent de la nature contingente et multiple de la logique du praticable. Troisièmement, le tournant pratique en ri s’inscrit dans le prolongement, et non à l’encontre, du tournant linguistique et de l’interprétivisme. Au final, mettre la logique du praticable à l’avant-plan, c’est diriger l’analyse sur les ressorts de l’inégalité et de la domination sociales, dans le prolongement de la sociologie politique de Pierre Bourdieu.Three main arguments are put forward in response the above critiques. First, far from denying the importance of reflexivity, the logic of practicality draws attention to its unspoken underpinnings. Even the most calculated diplomatic tactics are rooted in embodied know-how, which while rarely discussed, nonetheless has a structuring effect. Second, explaining change and extraordinary events is a challenge well within the analytical capabilities of the logic of practicality. In fact, misconduct and changing notions of common sense are attributable to the contingent and multiple nature of the logic of practicality. Thirdly, the practice turn in IR is an extension, not a rejection, of the linguistic turn and interpretivism. Ultimately, forefronting the logic of practicality is a way to focus analysis on underlying mechanisms of inequality and social domination, in keeping with the political sociology of Pierre Bourdieu.Se avanzan tres principales argumentos en respuesta a los textos críticos anteriores. Primeramente, lejos de refutar la importancia de la reflexividad, la lógica de la practicidad destaca sus resortes o mecanismos inarticulados. Incluso las tácticas diplomáticas más calculadas se basan en conocimientos y habilidades encarnadas que, si bien raramente son objeto de discusiones, producen sin embargo efectos estructurantes. Segundo, explicar el cambio y los eventos extraordinarios constituye un desafío que no está fuera del alcance analítico de la lógica de la practicidad. Por el contrario, las brechas de conducta y las transformaciones del sentido común derivan de la naturaleza contingente y múltiple de la lógica de la practicidad. Tercero, el giro práctico en las relaciones internacionales se inscribe en la prolongación, y no en la oposición, del giro lingüístico y del interpretativismo. Finalmente, poner la lógica de la practicidad en primer plano es dirigir el análisis sobre los resortes de la desigualdad y la dominación sociales, en la prolongación de la sociología política de Pierre Bourdieu

La Russie et la communauté atlantique : Vers une culture commune de sécurité ?

Au cours des cinquante dernières années, la relation soviéto- puis russo-atlantique a profondément évolué. Se concentrant sur la période de l’après-guerre froide, cet article soutient que les récentes années ont permis l’émergence d’une culture commune de sécurité entre la Russie et la communauté atlantique. En se fondant sur un cadre théorique constructiviste, il y est argumenté que depuis la fin de la guerre froide, un certain nombre de représentations sociales communes ont émergé sur les questions de sécurité. Si la transposition de ces idées en actes s’est parfois révélée difficile dans la décennie 1989-1999, il apparaît qu’au cours des dernières années, un système de sens de plus en plus dense a été partagé concernant autant la nature des menaces que doivent affronter la Russie et la communauté atlantique que les solutions à mettre en oeuvre pour y pallier.During the last fifty years, the relationship between urss/Russia and the Atlantic community has greatly evolved. Taking the Post-Cold War era as its focus, this article posits that the last few years have allowed the emergence of a Russian-Atlantic security culture. Informed by a constructivist theoretical framework, it argues that since the end of the Cold War, some common social understandings have developed between Russia and the Atlantic community about security issues. The translation of these ideas into deeds has sometimes been difficult during the 1989-1999 decade. It is nonetheless apparent that in the last few years a system of shared meanings about threats and solutions to them has become more and more dense between Russia and the Atlantic community

La logique du praticable : une théorie de la pratique des communautés de sécurité

Cet article explore les ramifications théoriques de la logique du praticable en Relations internationales. Tant dans la vie sociale que politique, on ne saurait réduire les pratiques à de simples produits de la rationalité instrumentale, de la conformité avec les normes ou de l’agir communicationnel. Ces trois logiques de l’action sociale révèlent un même penchant pour la connaissance réflexive, se concentrant sur ce à quoi (plutôt que ce à partir de quoi) pensent les agents. Pourtant, les pratiques sont souvent issues d’un savoir-faire tacite qui les fait paraître comme coulant de source, comme relevant du bon sens. Puisant à la philosophie, à la psychologie et surtout à la sociologie bourdieusienne, l’article élabore une théorie de la pratique des communautés de sécurité qui conçoit la paix internationale comme le résultat du sens pratique des acteurs de la sécurité, grâce auquel la diplomatie devient le moyen qui va de soi pour régler les conflits interétatiques.This article explores the theoretical implications of the logic of practicality in world politics. In social and political life, practices do not primarily derive from instrumental rationality, norm-following or communicative action. These three logics of social action suffer from a representational bias in that they focus on what agents think about instead of what they think from. According to the logic of practicality, practices rather are the result of inarticulate know-how which makes appear what is to be done self-evident or commonsensical. Building on insights from philosophy, psychology and especially Bourdieu’s sociology, the article develops a theory of practice of security communities arguing that peace exists in and through practice when security officials’ practical sense makes diplomacy the self-evident way to solving interstate disputes.Este artículo explora las ramificaciones teóricas de la lógica de la practicidad en relaciones internacionales. Tanto en la vida social como política, no se puede reducir las prácticas a simples productos de la racionalidad instrumental, de la conformidad con las normas o del actuar comunicacional. Estas tres lógicas de la acción social revelan una misma inclinación por el conocimiento reflexivo, concentrándose en el “a qué” (en vez de “a partir de qué”) piensan los agentes. Sin embargo, las prácticas proceden con frecuencia de un saber hacer tácito que las hace parecer como obvias, como basadas en el sentido común. Recurriendo a la filosofía, la sicología y sobre todo la sociología de Bourdieu, el artículo elabora una teoría de la práctica de las comunidades de seguridad que concibe la paz internacional como el resultado del sentido práctico de los actores de la seguridad, gracias al cual la diplomacia se convierte en el medio evidente para solucionar los conflictos entre los estados

Security Community in and through Practice: The Power Politics of Russia-NATO Diplomacy

How do security communities develop in and through practice? For more than forty years, security relations between Russia and NATO member states were structured by the spectre of mutual assured destruction as symbolized by thousands of nuclear missiles targeted at each other. Less than a generation after the end of the Cold War, the possibility of military confrontation between these former enemies has considerably receded. Taking inspiration from Pierre Bourdieu, this dissertation develops a theory of practice of security communities that argues that on the ground of international politics, the social fact of peace emerges when security practitioners come to debate with diplomacy—the non-violent settlement of disputes—instead of about diplomacy. It is doxa, a relationship of immediate adherence to the order of things, that makes such a peaceful practical sense possible. In the empirical analysis, the dissertation reveals an intriguing paradox in the post-Cold War Russian-Atlantic relationship. On the one hand, over the last fifteen years Russia and NATO member states have solved each and every one of their disputes, including fierce ones over the double enlargement, by nonviolent means. Such a track record of peaceful change is testimony to security-communitybuilding processes. But on the other hand, diplomatic success was often bought at the price of a growing mistrust on the Russian side. As the Russian Great Power habitus resurfaced, hysteresis—a disconnect between players’ dispositions and their positions in the game—steadily increased to the point of inconclusive symbolic power struggles over the rules of the international security game and the roles that each player should play. A decade and a half after the end of the Cold War, Russian-Atlantic relations have left the terrain of military confrontation but have yet to settle on that of mature peace. Building on several dozen interviews with Russian and NATO security practitioners, the dissertation discovers that diplomacy has become a normal though not a self-evident practice in Russian-Atlantic dealings.Ph