Benito Juarez, Republican Internationalism, and the Transformation of Nineteenth Century International Order
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/93310459956?pwd=ak5DcEs1ZGFmOXd1c0tUTFNPZzZmdz09; Meeting ID: 933 1045 9956; Passcode: 582070
istorical IR scholarship increasingly treats the second half of the nineteenth century as a time of transformation. Growing “interaction capacity” spurred new patterns of international organization and international law amidst inter-imperial cooperation and competition. Though it has received little attention in Historical IR, Mexico was at the centre of these occurrences – not only as a victim of imperial aggression but an active proponent of alternative visions of liberal and republican international order. From 1859 to 1867, the country saw a major debt crisis and a related intervention. It defeated an attempt by a leading power, France, to reinstate monarchical governance in the Americas. It then expanded liberal commercial ties with the world economy. Mexican responses – armed, diplomatic, and legal – were profoundly shaped by the leading political figure, President Benito Juárez. Juárez came from a rural and indigenous background before scaling the heights of power. Though recognized as a committed republican, Juárez’s internationalism has been overlooked. He adapted many liberal ideas that shaped later British and U.S.-led orders, but he did so in opposition to imperial expansion. This paper explores Juárez’s internationalist thought and the implications of his leadership on the development on nineteenth international order.
Date: 18 October 2022, 12:30 (Tuesday, 2nd week, Michaelmas 2022)
Venue: Nuffield College, New Road OX1 1NF
Venue Details: Clay Room
Speaker: Thomas Long (University of Warwick)
Organising department: Nuffield College
Organisers: Tarik Abou-Chadi (Nuffield College), Ezequiel Gonzalez Ocantos (Nuffield College)
Organiser contact email address: maxine.collett@nuffield.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Nuffield College Political Science Seminars
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Maxine Collett