ABSTRACT
Scientific knowledge plays an important role in international politics, but current attempts to appreciate how and why scientific knowledge matters leave much to be desired. By assuming that only one group of experts will emerge on a given issue and that all policymakers will recognize that group as authoritative overlooks the socially constructed nature of knowledge creation. The burgeoning literature on the politicization of science (not to mention the scientization of politics) amply proves that science and politics have a tense relationship, and that this relationship often depends on the nature of the policy objectives pursued.
