Hedley Bull's pluralism of the intellect and solidarism of the will

Abstract

Hedley Bull is one of the most influential theorists of his generation. His attempt to build a theory of international politics which was neither the servant of realpolitik nor the child of Wilsonian idealism remains the most convincing framework for understanding state practice. This article seeks to reassess Bull's contribution to the subject by addressing two important questions. In the first half of the article the authors argue that Bull became increasingly aware that his theory of international society offered only a partial escape from the ethical paucity of E. H. Carr's political realism. For this reason, in his later years Bull adumbrated a more solidarist theory of international society. They argue that despite his attraction to solidarism, the realist in Bull prevented him from embracing a convincing solidarist theory of world politics. The second half of the article examines the relevance of Bull's categories of pluralism and solidarism for thinking about the ethics of statecraft in the post-Cold War world. By focusing on the responses of the society of states to humanitarian crises, the authors consider how far solidarist sentiments have penetrated the consciousness of state leaders, reflecting on Bull's core contention that there is an interdependence between order and justice in the society of states.⋆