Adam Watson, Raison de Système, and the Practice Turn: Revisiting the Work of Diplomat in the English School

Abstract

This contribution focuses on the concept of raison de système developed by Adam Watson, a career diplomat and a member of the English School of International Relations. I trace the concept of raison de système across Watson’s work, which he deploys against raison d’état, and lay out how its scope has expanded to include economic issues and the collective security agenda since the 19th century. I also consider how raison de système relates to change, culture, ethics, and the role of diplomatic agency in international society. I conclude with an overall assessment of Watson’s contribution to our thinking about international society and point to the ways in which his scholarship can be fruitfully synthesized with the recent practice turn in diplomatic studies.

Keywords

• Adam Watson
• English School
• international relations
• practice turn
• diplomatic hierarchies

References

1. References are indicated in the article.