If there is anything that holds together the disparate group of scholars
who subscribe to ‘critical theory’ it is the idea that the study of
international relations should be oriented by an emancipatory politics.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent ‘war
on terrorism’ showed, among other things, that unnecessary human
suffering remains a central fact of international life. It would be easy,
and perhaps understandable, to overestimate the novelty or significance
of September 11 for world order. After all, the world’s greatest power
was dealt a devastating blow in its national capital, Washington, and its
greatest city, New York. In attacking the Pentagon and the World Trade
Centre, the perpetrators were attacking two icons of America’s global
power projection: its military and financial centres. For critical theory,
any assessment of the degree to which September 11 changed world
order will depend on the extent to which various forms of domination
are removed and peace, freedom, justice and equality are promoted. The
unfinished ‘war on terrorism’ fought by Washington and London has so
far done little to satisfy the critical theorist’s concerns. Indeed, it has
been argued by many critical theorists that it is more likely to introduce
‘de-civilizing’ forces into international relations.
This chapter is divided into three main parts: firstly, a sketch of the
origins of critical theory; secondly, an examination of the political
nature of knowledge claims in international relations; and, thirdly, a
detailed account of critical international theory’s attempt to place
questions of community at the centre of the study of international
relations. This will provide an opportunity to discuss how critical
theory reflects on the events of September 11 and the subsequent ‘war
on terrorism’.