This is a collection of fragments, a work in progress, meant to aid friends and students--really, whoever cares to stop by--in discovering the world of International Relations. To the question I so often get from students, past and present--"what should I read?"--I herewith try to supply an answer. It is a sort of preliminary syllabus for the study of international relations emphasizing history, philosophy, and law, with an occasional nod at contemporary affairs. It is complimentary to another "blogbook" of mine, The American Experiment, containing documents on the foundations of American constitutionalism and diplomacy. (I have made use of some of those entries in the Table of Contents for this volume. American thinkers are often ignored in histories of international thought, a critical mistake that I should like to avoid duplicating.)
As my object is mostly to recover an often neglected and usually forgotten literature, many of the materials are in the public domain; some, however, are not. In selecting extracts from books, I have sought to conform to the letter and spirit of "fair use," limiting extracts from copyrighted materials to less than 2000 words (usually less than 1/50th of a book's contents and far less than is customary at on-line retailers which offer previews.)
If publishers still should take objection, I would obligingly take down anything regarded as an infringement of their right; but they should duly consider that a society is to be formed, preliminarily called the Hindustan Institute, whose object is the establishment of a great prize recognizing contributions to truth and the advancement of liberty, peace, and union. Inclusion herein, with a few exceptions, signifies a nomination for such prize; these extracts form part of the citation of award.
The rss feeds on either side are to sources I find especially useful for understanding contemporary international politics. I single out the non-interventionists because I find myself as a rule in hearty agreement with them.
David Hendrickson
September 2013
dhendrickson@coloradocollege.edu
