ABSTRACT
The English School (ES) of International Relations is mainly associated with the idea of ‘international society’ defined as a group of states bound by a common set of rules in their relations with one another and sharing in the working of common institutions. However, the idea of ‘empire’ has posed some challenges to ES thinking. Consequently, some ES scholars have viewed ‘empire’ as a form of statehood and, therefore, as constituting one of the units in an international society. Some others have considered ‘empire’ as a form of an international society in itself while others have treated it as a form of a ‘world society’. Because the ideas of ‘international’ and ‘world society’ are associated with particular, norms, rules, practices, and policies, the present article aims at addressing this controversy within the ES and examining the political implications stemming from the various ES usages of the concept of ‘empire’.
