The Concept, Practice, and Relevance of 'International Society' in the 21st Century

In this paper I suggest to update and apply the concept, practice, and action of 'international society', as developed in the classic book by Hedley Bull (1977), by assessing its relevance in the 21st century. Among the subjects to be covered I include the following: (1) Alternative world orders and scenarios; (2) Rise of non-state actors; (3) The impact of globalization; (4) Approaches to international society from the global south; (5) The changing realities of civil and intermestic wars, but no international wars; and (6) The regionalization of world politics. The two major research questions to be addressed in the paper are: (1) What is the relevance of the concept and practice of international society nowadays? ; (2) What are the challenges 'international society' faces in the third decade of the twenty-first century?