Tragedy,Progress and the International Order: A Response to Frost

Abstract

This response describes the circumstances that led Professor Mervyn Frost to write his article on tragedy in international relations. In examining his argument, it identifies several points of agreement but two points of disagreement. The first is over the evidence for the evolution of a global human rights culture; the second over the weight to be attached to the impediments to progress represented by the external world. These points are illustrated by reference to international developments since September 2001. The conclusion is that the modern world, despite its public commitment to the progressive idiom of democratic politics, and enlightened attempts to promote a democratic world order, cannot easily escape tragic outcomes.