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Barry 1996
Barry 1996
GEORGE RAINBOLT
Georgia State University
BRIAN BARRY
LondonSchoolof Economics
It is quite often the case that those who are analyzing the structure of the
international scene and seek to set moral guidelines for a better world order
see the deficiencies of liberal theory more clearly than those who are examining
the inner workings and justifications of liberal states. This is especially true
of Lea Brilmayer's excellent book.
As this short introduction suggests, the task Brilmayer sets for herself is
to seek a measure of morality in the international scene as it is structured
today. Hence, her argument takes the unequal distribution of powers as given
and does not withdraw to thought experiments asking whether participants,
placed in a hypothetical setting, would choose to be part of a hegemonic
system. Instead, she examines a much more concrete and timely question:
what sort of arrangements between unequal parties, if any, do we have reason
to respect? This is not a idle question, but it is often neglected by political
theorists who are swayed by the theoretically correct, but practically unhelpful,
assumption that the obligation to respect agreements could be made void by
the inequality of the negotiating parties. Those who adopt this view must
conclude that there are reasons to discard most actual agreements among