The Justice Motive in International Relations: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

Modern empirical social science is unique in denying, dismissing, or discounting the role of justice considerations in human behavior. A relatively small group of International Relations (ir) scholars have attempted to address this lacuna, with limited uptake to date. The articles in this issue collectively seek to move this research program forward. In this essay, I explore various conceptual, epistemological, methodological, and sociology-of-the-field issues that may be responsible for its limited traction thus far and argue that only the last represents a serious obstacle. Whether recent trends and developments inirindicate that the time may finally be ripe for a robust normal science on the role of justice considerations in international politics remains to be seen, but negotiation theorists are in the best position to move it forward.