Conservatism, Civiility, and the Challenges of International Political Theory

Dark times require that we peer deeply into the darkness, and we seem to live in times where the will and ability to peer into the darkness is increasingly vital. Much that has been taken as progress in politics both domestic and international seems at risk of unravelling. Most strikingly, across the globe radical conservative and avowedly ‘neo- reactionary’ movements are challenging the principles, practices, and institutions of the liberal world order that (for better or worse) for at least a quarter of a century seemed f irmly ‘embedded’ as the dominant international order –  with often worrying success.1 Autocracy, illiberal democracy, racial exclusion, and extreme nationalism –  to name but a few –  are today powerful forces in world politics. Democracy, human rights, toleration, and even civility are on the back foot in many places, and in rapid retreat in others.

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