Émeric Crucé was a French political writer, known for the Nouveau Cynée (1623), a pioneer work on 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...

.

Life

Little specific is known about him. He taught in a college in Paris, and is said to have been a monk, supposed to have been from a humble background..

The “New Cyneas”

The Nouveau Cynée ou Discours d'Estat représentant les occasions et moyens d'establir une paix générale et la liberté de commerce pour tout le monde takes its name from Cyneas, a diplomat-statesman of the ancient world, active around 300 BC, and known for his emphasis on peace. Crucé made peace central to his philosophical and political thought.

He is pacifist in tone, and envisages an international body to maintain peace. It should be a permanent gathering princes, or their representatives, in session at Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

; its task would be to resolve disputes. Radically, the suggestion is that the Islamic powers would participate, in this permanent peace congress

Peace congress

A peace congress, in international relations, has at times been defined in a way that would distinguish it from a peace conference , as an ambitious forum to carry out dispute resolution in international affairs, and prevent wars...

; Crucé's thinking runs along the lines of a common humanity.

His system relies on a measure of free trade

Free trade

Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...

, and proposes a single currency, and standardized weights and measures. There is an emphasis on social and economic objectives, and public spending.

Crucé's ideas are in sharp contrast to those of Jean Bodin

Jean Bodin

Jean Bodin was a French jurist and political philosopher, member of the Parlement of Paris and professor of law in Toulouse. He is best known for his theory of sovereignty; he was also an influential writer on demonology....

, based on national sovereignty

National sovereignty

National sovereignty is the doctrine that sovereignty belongs to and derives from the nation, an abstract entity normally linked to a physical territory and its past, present, and future citizens. It is an ideological concept or doctrine derived from liberal political theory...

and the acceptance of war.