Summary
Tigran R. Yepremyan
The paper discusses Hugo Grotius’ international political thoughts and their influence on the formation of constructivist thinking in international relations from the perspective of modern constructivism. In relation to Grotius’ thought different constructivist approaches to international politics are taken into consideration. Therefore, the paper proceeds with the conceptualization of the influence of Grotius’ political thought on the theory and practice of international relations in the light of constructivism and speech act theory. Hence, Grotius’ idealistic and holistic approach towards nations and society of nations is regarded within the framework of Alexander Wendt’s theory of structural constructivism. According to these approaches, nations (states) are constructed with common beliefs and organizational structures that give them territorial monopoly of legitimate violence. This comprehensive perspective allows us better understand the evolution of holist and structuralist theories of international relations and Grotius’ role in the formation of constructivist theories in international relations.