Nonviolent Geopolitics: Law, Politics, and 21st Century Security

Abstract

This chapter articulates a conception of a world order premised on nonviolent geopolitics, as well as considers some obstacles to its realization. By focusing on the interplay of 'law' and 'geopolitics' the intention is to consider the role played both by normative traditions of law and morality and the 'geopolitical' orientation that continue to guide dominant political actors on the global stage. Such an approach challenges the major premise of realism that security, leadership, stability, and influence in the 21st century continue to rest primarily on military power, or what is sometimes described as 'hard power' capabilities. As such, the principal contribution of international law, aside from its utility in facilitating cooperation in situations where national interests converge, is to provide rhetoric that rationalizes controversial foreign policy initiatives undertaken by one's own country and to demonize comparable behaviour by an enemy state. Keywords: controversial foreign policy; dominant political actors; international law; interplay of law; nonviolent geopolitics