The Chastened Cosmopolitan

Abstract

These are—once again—tough times for cosmopolitans. Not only does their model political community (the European Union) seem to be slowly imploding, but their liberal philosophy is increasingly on the defensive as well, put to flight at times by forces ranging from a reinvigorated Islam to scholars given more to Marxism and Continental postmodernism than to classical liberalism. Nevertheless, Richard Beardsworth's book, Cosmopolitanism and International Relations Theory, keeps hope alive for those who believe that cosmopolitanism should never abandon its responsibility to speak to the theory and practice of international relations and, in so doing, unlock our full global potential for peace and prosperity. Beardsworth's book attempts to bridge the gap between international relations theory—here understood chiefly as an empirical enterprise—and cosmopolitanism, here understood primarily as a normative one. Beardsworth's contention is that “growing interdependence” allows for greater normative purchase on the world, especially in relation to a host of global issues ranging from international security to economic regulation. In other words, given the growing dependence and social density among states, Beardsworth argues that cosmopolitanism's position on these issues is becoming ever more “empirically meaningful.” Consequently, he insists that it is theoretically irresponsible to dispatch the insights of cosmopolitanism to the outer darkness of normative speculation without attempting to bring those insights to bear on the empirical study of international relations.