Our tangled web: International relations theory, international environmental law, and global biodiversity protection in a post-modern epoch of interdependence

The global crisis of biodiversity depletion sets the stage for a necessary re-definition of State self-interest in the international milieu. That re-definition is effected by a changing perception of 'self'; one that occurs through the mental lens of interdependence and long-term vision. This thesis attempts to challenge conventional precepts and present a submission for change by drawing upon constructivist thought, which asserts that current perceptions are socially constructed and rooted in "collective intentionality", such that what has been human-made can be altered by the same processes through which it came into existence. In so doing, the author employs the notions of international ethics as a shared belief and international law as an ideational instrument to facilitate that change in favor of international cooperation toward the necessary amelioration of global biodiversity diminution in order to assure our future.