-
Conclusion: International Relations and Our Many Worlds
- University of Michigan Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
Conclusion: International Relations and Our Many Worlds When Iranian government central television put on a marathon of The Lord of the Rings after disputed elections in June 2009, the intention was to quell riots—to reinstitute a more stable social Order. What this plan failed to recognize is that because LOTR highlights issues of both Order and Justice within an imagination-grabbing and fantastical epic context, the LOTR marathon drew popular attention to the very issues that the government sought to suppress. Rather than promote general apathy and submission, the ‹lms encouraged critical engagement and determination to continue the resistance, whether in the present or future. It highlighted how Order and Justice are interlinked, how the Iranian Order was unjust, and how quests for more Just social Orders were possible in Middle-earth and beyond. This book’s introduction to IR and its analysis of Order and Justice in global politics has emphasized the interlinkage of Order and Justice: ‹rst, how different kinds of social Orders are characterized by different levels of social Justice for different groups; and second, how some kind of Justice is required to sustain any kind of Order. As a citizen of the world, it is now up to you to decide what actions you will take to make your world more stable and more safe—from personal steps in your home or with your family to international steps on the global stage. We hope that as you pursue your own journey, you take with you the idea that—like the different colors of a rainbow—different perspectives shed different kinds of light on our many worlds. We have argued that the strongest, clearest, and richest understanding of our world requires conjoining different perspectives. White light is made up of rainbows. 192 Building on this idea, this book has undertaken the task of being a form of a prism. We have combined worlds, and have highlighted different perspectives, which focus on different patterns or colors. Because juxtaposing different perspectives allows each one to illuminate and critique the other, we hope that combining these worlds has facilitated stronger understandings of all of them. Now that we have enriched our understanding of the discipline and practice of international relations by comparing Middle-earth with our world, what next steps should we take, and how should we engage with other students and scholars of IR who are engaged in quests for Order and Justice? We begin with a discussion of what insight LOTR provides for quests for more Just forms of Order. We continue by reviewing how different approaches to IR are associated with different kinds of goals. Finally , we conclude by emphasizing the interlinkage between Order and Justice, and encouraging the practice of engaging with other worlds and other perspectives in order to enable a richer, more colorful understanding of global politics. justice as right action: the quest for a more just order How can we make the world a safer and more stable place? Both through the characters and quest in LOTR, Tolkien highlights how creating more Justice in societal Order is extremely important. Despite this, he also usefully points out obstacles that we should be prepared for on the journey, which include dif‹culty in taking action, divergent perspectives on Justice , and imperfectly conceived solutions. Obstacle #1: Pursuing Justice Requires Taking Action As the wise Wizard who shepherds the Fellowship, Gandalf repeatedly uses his position to af‹rm just action rather than inaction or unjust action . This theme is set up early on, when Frodo discovers that the seemingly ordinary trinket he has inherited from Bilbo is the One Ring of Sauron, made for domination and enslavement. He asks Gandalf, “How, how did it come to me? . . . I wish it need not have happened in my time.” And Gandalf replies, “So do I . . . and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us” (I: 50). Later Frodo reiterates his question: “Why Conclusion • 193 [44.221.81.212] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 12:01 GMT) did it come to me? Why was I chosen?” Gandalf emphasizes Frodo’s responsibility to act: “Such questions cannot be answered. . . . But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have” (I: 60). Authors such as Skoble (2003) and West (2002) have recognized a theme within LOTR about...