Study On Mervyn Frost's International Normative Theory

Normative international theory addresses the moral dimension of international society and the logic of'ought'statements in international relations. The traditional content of normative international theory has been dominated by such issues as: the nature of international law and the moral basis of the rights and duties it imposes on states and individuals; and, most fundamentally, the nature of the ethical requirements that need to be met if a system of inter-state relations can justly be characterized as an"international society". The dispute exists between Cosmopolitism and Communism in normative international theory. This thesis analyzes Mervyn Frost's normative international theory, that is, constitute theory of individuality, which means a middle way"internationalism"to bridge the gap between the former two.First of all, this thesis gives a brief review on the normative international theory from its development and characteristics. As a result, we can learn its philosophical roots, evolution and so on.Mervyn Frost as one of the earliest representatives of the normative international theory examines the reasons which are given for the neglect of normative theory and criticizes the flaws in other related theories. Due to the disputes in the normative theory, he suggests that"settled norms"which come into being during the practice of international relations be the basis of judgment of moral and ethic alternatives. In terms of settled norms, he puts forward a secular Hegelian ethical theory which he called"constitutive theory".Because of his middle way, his theory has distinguished from other normative theories with respect to methodology. In the thesis, his theory has been compared with Cosmopolitism and Communism in order to display its methodological characteristics. Then, the thesis shows how his constitutive theory may be applied to the ethical puzzles which have come to light in the Bosnian Conflict.Finally, the thesis inquires Frost's theory critically from two aspects: its theoretical innovation and significance as well as its deficiency.