Possessive individualism and the domestic liberal roots of international political theory

Criticisms of realism and liberalism, traditionally the two dominant perspectives within international relations (IR) and international political economy (IPE) theory, have been widespread for the past two decades. What unites these critical theorists is their claim that IWIPE theory is both ahistorical and decontextualised. What is missing from this critical account is a sustained historical examination of liberal ontology at the domestic level and how it relates to current mainstream IRIIPE theory construction. This project provides an overview of the basic assumptions, goals and insights of C.B. Macpherson's possessive individualist model and its relevance to the study of international politics. Its main hypothesis is that Macpherson's critique of the possessive individualist core of liberalism is equally valid at the international level of analysis because assumptions about the role of the individual, the state, and human nature within IRIIPE theory have been ontologically transferred to the international level in possessive individualist terms. The possessive individualist ethos is an identity that imbues intersubjective norms and values upon individuals, institutions and states. Through social iteration, states have embodied these liberal norms, values, and identities that entrench competition, hierarchy and inequality. IWIPE theory, which draws its core assumptions from this liberal discourse, benefits from including Macpherson's insights because insufficient attention has been given to the historical and ideological development of the liberal worldview, its effects on the conceptualisation of international politics, and how this pervasive worldview inhibits potential alternatives. This leads to a discussion of the model's potential applicability in furthering a critical research programme of other areas of liberal capitalist modernity.