The End of Diplomatic History

World system theory has recorded many scholarly conquests over the past decade or so, but it is only with the appearance of Thomas McCormick's new book, America's Half-Century, that its advance parties have reached the frontiers of diplomatic history. On first reflection, this event would seem to call for the formation of a welcoming committee. For those diplomatic historians anxious to liberate the discipline from the dynastic rule of moribund ideas, world system theory has an abundance of attractive features. Among its virtues, it answers the call for increased global awareness on the part of those long critical of parochialism in the study of foreign relations; by emphasizing the role of structural forces over a long span of time, it avoids the blinkered vision that often accompanies the day-to-day tracking of diplomatic events; and its interdisciplinary emphasis, especially its reliance on the social sciences, seems to offer an exciting potential for comprehensive explanation that contrasts with the methodological stodginess and inconclusiveness of much traditional diplomatic history. With all this going for it, world system theory seems destined, at a minimum, to carve out a sizable sphere of influence in the territory of diplomatic historians

Diplomatic history · Epistemology · International relations · Parochialism · Political science · Politics · History · Law · Philosophy · World Systems and Global Transformations

• The cold war

  Open Access•Rogério De Souza Farias•Revista Brasileira de Política…•2006

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