Commentary

• Commerce, Power and Justice: Montesquieu on International Politics

  - Rosow, Stephen J. “Commerce, Power and Justice: Montesquieu on International Politics.” The Review of Politics 46, no. 3 (July 1, 1984): 346–366.
  In this essay Montesquieu’s reflections on international politics are interpreted as a more-or-less coherent whole rooted in his understanding of the structural changes in European history from antiquity to the eighteenth century. Montesquieu’s… More

• Justice among Nations: On the Moral Basis of Power and Peace

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  Pangle, Thomas L, and Peter J Ahrensdorf. Justice Among Nations: On the Moral Basis of Power and Peace. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1999.
  In the post-Cold War era, we have lost the clarity that once characterized our vision of international conflict. Foreign affairs are no longer defined solely by the ideological battles fought between capitalism and communism or by the competition between two… More

• Civilising International Politics: Republicanism and the World Outside

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  Long, Katya. “Civilising International Politics: Republicanism and the World Outside.” Millennium - Journal of International Studies 38, no. 3 (May 1, 2010): 773–796.
  The link between republicanism and international relations theory is far from obvious. Among the many schools of contemporary theories of international relations there is not one that makes any explicit reference to republicanism. However, during the… More

• Democratic International Relations: Montesquieu and the Theoretical Foundations of Democratic Peace Theory

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  Patapan, Haig. “Democratic International Relations: Montesquieu and the Theoretical Foundations of Democratic Peace Theory.” Australian Journal of International Affairs 66, no. 3 (2012): 313–329.
  The article examines the extent to which Montesquieu’s doux commerce thesis, which claims that commerce leads to softening of manners and therefore favours international peace, presents a challenge to democratic peace theory. It argues that… More

• Montesquieu on Ancient Greek Foreign Relations by Andrea Radasanu

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  Radasanu, Andrea. “Montesquieu on Ancient Greek Foreign Relations Toward National Self-Interest and International Peace.” Political Research Quarterly 66, no. 1 (March 1, 2013): 3–17.
  Montesquieu famously claims that modernity ushered in gentle mores and peaceful relations among countries. Consulting Montesquieu’s teaching on Greek foreign policy, both republican and imperial, elucidates the character of these peaceful mores. Montesquieu… More