Volume 53, Issue 4, July 2016

The Special Issue aims to re-explore the key issues in Machiavelli’s international thought, and dig in depth into some of its most fundamental aspects: the relevance of human nature in determining political conflict; the influence of his ideas on the Realist tradition; the use of force and the morality dilemma; the importance of laws in the foundation of states and their limitations; the central role played by charisma and chance in influencing foreign policy; the impact of domestic political structures on international politics. As demonstrated by the contributors, interrogating Machiavelli’s thought has a significant potential for both IR theory and the analysis of specific issues in contemporary international relations.

The article Negotiating the lines between war and politics: Machiavelli’s gendering of war and peace by Kimberly Hutchins is free to access online for a limited time.