Abstract
We argue that social order emerges from interactions among human individuals who develop and internalize emotional beliefs on their place within wider social surroundings in the form of social contract. Although parts of this thesis can be justified by referencing recent works in international relations, the sociology of emotions allows elaborating the thesis more consistently across various analytical levels: the individual, the intrastate/societal, and the international. We rely on sociological theories of emotions and draw implications for the establishment and maintenance of social contract, as well as the restoration and bolstering of social order in failing states. Knowledge of local culture, rituals, perceptions of self and others, modes of exchange, power and status hierarchies, and stratification patterns can all provide clues, here summarized in the form of guidelines as to how more effective, yet noninvasive, means of engagement in failing states may be thought out and put to action.
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