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Jean Jacques Rousseau FR 1

Rousseau had a pessimistic view of international relations. He believed that political bodies seek to grow stronger than their neighbors out of insecurity and a desire for self-preservation, resulting in a state of war between nations. For this reason, Rousseau distrusted foreign powers and thought relations with them only bred dependence and division. He proposed establishing "islands of peace" through European confederations as a way to create stability within this state of war.

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Julie Faith Aquimba Bulan
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14 views

Jean Jacques Rousseau FR 1

Rousseau had a pessimistic view of international relations. He believed that political bodies seek to grow stronger than their neighbors out of insecurity and a desire for self-preservation, resulting in a state of war between nations. For this reason, Rousseau distrusted foreign powers and thought relations with them only bred dependence and division. He proposed establishing "islands of peace" through European confederations as a way to create stability within this state of war.

Uploaded by

Julie Faith Aquimba Bulan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Rousseau's

Contribution to
International Relations
Theory
Coleen Gazzingan
Rona Bugtong
Who is
Jean Jacques Rousseau?
A Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer
though which his political philosophy influenced the
progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as
well as aspects of the French Revolution and the
development of modern political, economic, and
educational thought.

Known for his idea of freedom - The Social


Contract.
Social Contract

'Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains'

Rousseau acknowledged that as long as property and


laws exist, people can never be as entirely free in
modern society as they are in the state of nature
Rousseau had a pessimistic conception of international
relations

Political bodies have enough for their own preservation ...


but they have no fixed measure; their proper size is
undefined, it can always grow bigger, it feels weak so long as
there are others stronger than it. Its safety and preservation
demand that it makes itself stronger than its neighbors.
Rousseau maintains that international society in the
state of war obeys only the law of the strongest.

For this reason, he expresses his great distrust in foreign


powers, and believes that relations with these powers
only engender more dependence and division. He
confirms this thought in his writings:
Abbe de Saint-Pierre: Peace could only be achieved
through the integration of the European states into a
confederation.
"islands of peace"
He proposed the establishment of a variety of federations as a means
of creating "islands of peace" within the state of war.
References:
https://gjis.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/gjis/article/view/35143/31888
https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/rousseau/themes/

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