God and International Relations: Christian Theology and World Politics

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Religion is prevalent in world politics today, and international relation theory is at pains to understand and explain this phenomenon. This unique study aims to introduce political theology as an appropriate tool to the study of international relations. In accordance with the political theology of Carl Schmitt, which states that modern political concepts are secularized theological concepts, the work questions the "secular" foundations of contemporary international relations theory. Thus it reveals the Christian foundations of the discipline of international relations and delivers a critique of some of its most fundamental theoretical elements, such as its secular view of religion as part of the "irrational," its deification of the political form of the nation state, and its negation of theism in its understanding of responsibility in world politics. The result is a primer on how international relations and its studies have grown out of the political imagination of Christian theology. It will appeal to anyone interested in critical approaches to the field as well as in politics and religion, political theory, and political theology.

Reviews

"The gauntlet of God is yet again thrown down against the idolization of the state. A worthy challenge to any IR theorist" -- Iver B. Neumann,Director of Research, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
"Going beyond Carl Schmitt's argument that "all significant concepts of the modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts" the author traces the process by which sovereign states became the latest embodiment of the Christian corpus mysticism and a centerpiece of the academic discipline of International Relations. In this major contribution to the emerging political theology of International Relations, the author sheds light on the profound worldwide moral crisis and explains why the discipline is paralyzed when handling some of today's key issues." -Dr. Vendulka Kublkov, Professor of International Studies, University of Miami, Florida
In this fresh and provocative study, Mika Luoma-aho is not content with merely contributing to skepticism concerning the secular narrative about the Westphalian order or with reconfiguring the dilemmas concerning the scientific versus political character of international relations...This book goes beyond the simple acknowledgment of the relevance of religion for the discipline of international relations, and aims at unveiling the religious nature of international relations itself...This deeply theologised rethinking of international relations is intellectually refreshing and exciting, and in a way is much more realistic than the mainstream program of social and political science backed by an alleged 'methodological atheism'. * Peter Losonczi, PoliticalTheology.com, July 2012 *
This is an iconoclastic book. The need for this radical thinking is great when the dangers of extreme nationalism and state isolationism are threatening global solidarity. * James Walters, LSE Review of Books, October 2012 *

Author Bio

Mika Luoma-aho is Head of the Department of Social Studies and a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Lapland, Finland. He serves on the Editorial Board of Kosmopolis and is the author of four books, including Europe as a Living Organism: Organicist Symbolism and Political Subjectivity in the New Europe (2002).