Exploring Planetary Politics in the Post-Human Era: The Ontological Turn of International Political 'Theory' Under the Climate Crisis

Abstract

This study seeks to investigate new international political theories as the traditional Westphalian state-centric epistemology encounters constraints amid the climate crisis. The rise of unconventional human security threats and postmodern risk factors, such as those exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent climate crisis indicators, underscores the inadequacies of current international political frameworks. This situation highlights the urgency of a response while simultaneously signaling a stagnation in international political theory. Furthermore, the surge of extremism and populism in domestic politics raises doubts about the viability of empirical responses. Despite these challenges, the critical issues confronting humanity, like the climate crisis, remain urgent and unavoidable. Therefore, this paper explores the necessity for an ontological and epistemological shift in international politics from a meta-theoretical standpoint, considering the potential of planetary politics as an alternative theoretical model.