The Time of Global Politics : International Relations as Study of the Present

Argues that, despite past events being a valid means of predicting and preparing for the future, the present remains vitally important. This book will engage academics, graduates and undergraduates of international relations and global politics. It will also appeal to historians, sociologists and anthropologists interested in global politics.

How can we better relate and respond to the political times we inhabit? Temporal relationships play a central role in the questions at the heart of global politics, but political commentators and observers focus almost exclusively on the past as a means of predicting and preparing for the future. Christopher McIntosh argues that, although past events are meaningful for our collective future, the present remains vitally important. McIntosh emphasises the importance of the present as a conceptual resource and analytical category for thinking about international politics. The present, he suggests, places an orientation toward difference and a recognition of the human limits of understanding alongside an emphasis on process and change. This book will shift current thinking about prediction and better enable the use of knowledge about international politics to meaningfully and positively intervene in present-day concerns.