The Time of Global Politics
International Relations as Study of the Present

Argues that the study of global politics needs to focus on the present, not just the past.

Christopher McIntosh (Author)

9781009386814, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 December 2023

346 pages
23.5 x 15.5 x 2.3 cm, 0.66 kg

'… an insightful and thought-provoking work that offers a new perspective on the purpose of international relations as an area of study.' Jennifer Bachner, Perspectives on Politics

How can we better relate and respond to the political times we inhabit?  Temporal relationships play a central role in the questions at the heart of global politics, but political commentators and observers focus almost exclusively on the past as a means of predicting and preparing for the future.  Christopher McIntosh argues that, although past events are meaningful for our collective future, the present remains vitally important.  McIntosh emphasises the importance of the present as a conceptual resource and analytical category for thinking about international politics. The present, he suggests, places an orientation toward difference and a recognition of the human limits of understanding alongside an emphasis on process and change. This book will shift current thinking about prediction and better enable the use of knowledge about international politics to meaningfully and positively intervene in present-day concerns.

1. Theorizing with the present: past, present, and future in international politics
2. The temporal imaginary of international relations
3. A presentist approach to international relations: a toolkit for political analysis
4. The temporality of IR theories: global politics from the present
5. The time of war
6. Making America great again, again, and again
7. Beyond disciplinary prediction: alternative futures
8. Theorizing responsibly: temporality, positionality, and difference
Conclusion: toward an intellectual ethos for time scholarship in global politics.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS]