Islamic Realism and Understanding Modern International Relations
Subject Areas : Research in Theoritical Politics
1 - Professor of International Relations, Allameh Tabatabaei University
Abstract :
In this article, it is tried to answer two fundamental questions about Islamic attitude in International Relations. First, is there any reality outside of Human mind from Islam view and can human intellect come to understand the real categories? Second is that, is International Relations a real and incontestable issue? If yes, can the intellectual knowledge and understanding of this category be the religious understanding base of International Relations? To answer these questions, among the available different faiths in Islamic and Shi’ism thought, we used the realistic attitude of Allame Tabatabaee and Ayatollah Motahari which they themselves call realism too. It is obvious that the concept of realism in their attitude is different with the current concept of realism among the theories of International Relations for which scientists like Morgenta and Walts are its deputies. This thinking school is concomitant and consistent with a kind of intellectualistic juristic attitude which considers an absolute argumentum for Intellect to understand juristic decrees. Then, It is showed that this attitude believes, not only in the existence of reality and the capability of intellect to comprehend it, but also they believe that the intellectual understanding of human from these incontestable phenomena is the main base for religious knowledge. In the last part of this article, along with a brief review of Modern International Relations foundations, it is showed that the entirety of International Relations and its foundations like nations-states, International organizations and International economy are incontestable issues which are developed in the last two decades and were not existed in lawgiver era and the Islamic attitude is dependent on their intellectual understanding and judgment in new condition.
