State Egoism and Multilateral Diplomacy

June 2015Xiance Wang

Northeastern University

The Concept

• Ethical egoism is the normative ethical position that moral agents ought to do what is in their own self-interest. It differs from psychological egoism, which claims that people can only act in their self-interest.

• State Egoism and Realism in IR

（to be rational, to be self-dependent, to survive)

The End Justifies?

• “The principle that the end justifies the means is in individualist ethics regarded as the denial of all morals. In collectivist ethics it becomes necessarily the supreme rule” page161

——The Road to Serfdom （Friedrich Hayek）

• Individualism and collectivism

• State Egoism means: the conflict between Individual state moral and Global collective moral

How Should We Understand State Egoism?

• Pure good?

• Pure evil?

• Can we completely eradicate it?

Can: how to eradicate?

（The Communist International?)

Can’t: how to live with it?

(How to practice diplomacy with state egoism)

Multilateral Diplomacy is a practical choice

Multilateral Diplomacy and Global Democracy

• Multilateral Diplomacy creates stable balances between individual state moral (state egoism) and global moral.

• Could well-functioning multilateral diplomacy create global democracy?( Comparing with the development process of democracy within a state, what’s really building a state before building a democratic state?)

• Is EU an evidence that Multilateral Diplomacy creates Global Democracy? EU crisis - Greek

What’s Really Matters?

• What’s really determining International Relations?

• Is it the ways countries practicing diplomacy or their core interests arrangements are really decisive?

• Can Multilateral Diplomacy solve the structural contradictions?

(U.S-Soviet U.S-China)

What Should We Expect for Multilateral Diplomacy?

• State Egoism as a premise

• Multilateral Diplomacy as a bottom line keeper. UN=lead to the heaven or prevent to the hell?

• “Complex Interdependence theory” as a achievable improvement method, though it’s a gradual process.

(Economic interdependence is the first step.)

Complex Interdependence

• “Complex Interdependence” is a theory put forth by Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye.

• It argues that states and their fortunes are inextricably tied together.

• The various and complex transnational connections and interdependencies between states and societies were increasing, while the use of military force and power balancing are decreasing, but remain important.

A Promising Future

• The increase of complex interdependence in global scale

• Multilateral Diplomacy as a normalcy (notadequate yet) in future international affairs

• Keep state egoism in control and make right use of it

• It’s not an overnight process, but a result of trail and error learning.

Thank you !