Introduction: The Politics of International Political Theory

Abstract

The introductory chapter situates Chris Brown’s work in relation to wider themes in International Political Theory (IPT). It provides some context to Brown’s development as a scholar, looking to the ways in which his ideas emerged in relation to different debates and ideas in both political theory and international relations. It first provides a brief intellectual biography and then explores the idea of IPT through an engagement with three books through which Brown has defined the field. The following sections of the introduction look at Brown’s engagement with the predominant liberal international order and the theme of political judgement.