Section I :

Antinomies of Peace, Democracy and Diplomacy

Abstract

The opening section of the inaugural edition of JJIA comprises a series of articles which raise broader questions about the links, and in some cases the lack thereof, between great power diplomacy and the desire of people in different regions of the world to live a life of dignity based on peace and democracy. Promotion of ideals cherished universally by human societies has always been a favourite talking point for foreign ministries of great powers, especially liberal ones like the United States. Yet, the empirical record of powerful states in advancing peace and democracy has been patchy and mostly dissatisfactory. The contradiction between avowed moral pursuits and actual diplomatic practices based on realpolitik is an age-old one that gave rise to the very foundations of International Relations theory in the early decades of the 20th century.