Beyond a Pluralist Conception of International Society?

Abstract

In 1992, Ole Wæver criticized the English School for being too sceptical about societal changes in international politics. Based on a case study on the international response to the conflict in Bosnia-Hercegovina, the purpose of this article is to argue that the English School can account for such changes. A solidarist conception of international society dominated the UN Security Council's policy in its efforts to maintain international peace and security. However, at the level of implementation the normative agenda of a pluralist conception of international society remained dominant. A second purpose of the article is to show from an empirical and also from a theoretical perspective that there need not be a contradictory relationship between a pluralist and a solidarist conception of international society, as Wæver and others suggest.