Christian Reus-Smit
Encyclopedia
Chris Reus-Smit is Professor of International Relations at the European University Institute in Florence. He is a leading constructivist
scholar in the field of international relations
, and is arguably Australia's pre-eminent scholar in the field. Professor Reus-Smit's research focuses on the politics of International Ethics
and institutions, and he has published widely on issues of American and Australian foreign policy
, international law
, global governance, multilateralism
, human rights
, and international relations theory
. At present, he is co-editor (with Nicholas J. Wheeler
) of the Cambridge Studies in International Relations book series, and (with Duncan Snidal) of the Oxford Handbook on International Relations.
and the United States, receiving his B.A. and M.A. from La Trobe University
in Melbourne
. His M.A. dissertation concerned Australian foreign and security policy under during the Fraser
era. After completing his M.A. in the mid-1980s, he taught at La Trobe University. During the mid-1990s, Reus-Smit undertook his PhD at Cornell University
, along with other emerging constructivist scholars such as Audie Klotz and Richard Price. His doctoral dissertation was co-chaired by Peter J. Katzenstein
, the Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies at Cornell University, which was later published as The Moral Purpose of the State in 1999.
Reus-Smit returned to teach in Australia in 1995 and held positions as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at Monash University before taking up a position as Senior Fellow at the Australian National University in 2001, and was promoted to Professor in 2004. Reus-Smit served as Head of the Department of International Relations at the ANU from 2001 until 2010, and as Deputy Director of the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
(RSPAS) from 2006 to 2008. In September 2010 Reus-Smit moved to Florence to take up the Chair in International Relations at the European University Institute. Reus-Smit is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
Constructivism in international relations
In the discipline of international relations, constructivism is the claim that significant aspects of international relations are historically and socially contingent, rather than inevitable consequences of human nature or other essential characteristics of world politics.-Development:Nicholas Onuf...
scholar in the field of international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
, and is arguably Australia's pre-eminent scholar in the field. Professor Reus-Smit's research focuses on the politics of International Ethics
International Ethics
International Ethics is an area of international relations theory which concerns the extent and scope of ethical obligations between states in an era of globalization. Schools of thought include cosmopolitanism and anti-cosmopolitanism....
and institutions, and he has published widely on issues of American and Australian foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
, international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, global governance, multilateralism
Multilateralism
Multilateralism is a term in international relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert on a given issue.International organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization are multilateral in nature...
, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, and international relations theory
International relations theory
International relations theory is the study of international relations from a theoretical perspective; it attempts to provide a conceptual framework upon which international relations can be analyzed. Ole Holsti describes international relations theories act as a pair of coloured sunglasses,...
. At present, he is co-editor (with Nicholas J. Wheeler
Nicholas J. Wheeler
Nicholas J. Wheeler is professor of international politics at Aberystwyth University and co-editor of the Cambridge Studies in International Relations book series, published by Cambridge University Press and the British International Studies Association...
) of the Cambridge Studies in International Relations book series, and (with Duncan Snidal) of the Oxford Handbook on International Relations.
Career
Reus-Smit was educated in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United States, receiving his B.A. and M.A. from La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. His M.A. dissertation concerned Australian foreign and security policy under during the Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
era. After completing his M.A. in the mid-1980s, he taught at La Trobe University. During the mid-1990s, Reus-Smit undertook his PhD at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, along with other emerging constructivist scholars such as Audie Klotz and Richard Price. His doctoral dissertation was co-chaired by Peter J. Katzenstein
Peter J. Katzenstein
Peter Katzenstein is the Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies at Cornell University. He was educated in his native Germany. Katzenstein has received degrees from the London School of Economics, Swarthmore College, as well as a Ph.D. from Harvard University...
, the Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies at Cornell University, which was later published as The Moral Purpose of the State in 1999.
Reus-Smit returned to teach in Australia in 1995 and held positions as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at Monash University before taking up a position as Senior Fellow at the Australian National University in 2001, and was promoted to Professor in 2004. Reus-Smit served as Head of the Department of International Relations at the ANU from 2001 until 2010, and as Deputy Director of the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
The Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies was founded in 1946 as an institute of advanced study at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.-History:...
(RSPAS) from 2006 to 2008. In September 2010 Reus-Smit moved to Florence to take up the Chair in International Relations at the European University Institute. Reus-Smit is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
Books
- "Special Responsibilities: Global Problems and American Power" (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, In press). Co-authored with Mlada Bukovansky, Ian Clark, Robyn Eckersley, Richard Price, and Nicholas Wheeler.
- "The Oxford Handbook of International Relations" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008). Co-edited with Duncan Snidal.
- "International Crises of Legitimacy" (Special Issue, International Politics, 2007). Co-edited with Ian Clark.
- American Power and World Order (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2004).
- The Politics of International Law Editor (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).
- Theories of International Relations Coauthored with Scott Burchill, Andrew LinklaterAndrew LinklaterAndrew Linklater is a renowned international relations academic, and is the current Woodrow Wilson Professor of International Politics at Aberystwyth University...
, Jacqui True, Matthew Patterson, and Richard Devetak (London: Palgrave, 2001, 2005, 2008 Editions). - The Moral Purpose of the State (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999).
- Between Sovereignty and Global Governance Coedited with Albert Paolini and Anthony Jarvis. (London: Macmillan, 1998).
Selected Articles
- 'Human Rights in a Global Ecumene', "International Affairs", 87 (5), 2011.
- 'Struggles for Individual Rights and the Expansion of the International System', "International Organization", 65 (2), 207-242, 2011.
- 'Reuniting Ethics and Social Science in International Relations', "Ethics and International Affairs", 37 (2), 395-414, 2008. With Duncan Snidal.
- 'International Crises of Legitimacy', "International Politics", 44 (2/3), 2007.
- ‘Liberal Hierarchy and the License to Use Force’, Review of International Studies, 31 (December 2005).
- 'Imagining Society: Constructivism and the English School', British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 4 (3), 487-509, 2002.
- 'Human Rights and the Social Construction of Sovereignty', Review of International Studies, 27 (4), 1-20, 2001. (Awarded the BISA Prize.)
- 'The Strange Death of Liberal International Theory', European Journal of International Law, 12 (3), 573-593, 2001.
- 'The Constitutional Structure of International Society and the Nature of Fundamental Institutions', "International Organization", 51 (4), 1997.