Barry Buzan

Abstract

In February, STAIR’s Managing Editor spoke with Barry Buzan, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the LSE; honorary professor at Copenhagen, Jilin, and China Foreign Affairs Universities; a Senior Fellow at LSE Ideas; and a Fellow of the British Academy. A leading figure in international relations for several decades, Professor Buzan has shaped debates across Global IR, the English School, and the Copenhagen School. This issue’s theme was partly inspired by his March 2024 International Politics article, “A New Cold War? The Case for a General Concept,” in which he argues that today’s international system can be meaningfully analysed through the lens of cold wars. This interview delves deeper into those arguments and reflects Buzan’s broader interest in global order, civilisational dynamics, and conceptual innovation in IR theory. Read alongside the interview with Professor Jennifer Lind in this issue, Professor Buzan challenges the view that the Cold War was a unique historical case that defies comparison, arguing instead that contemporary international politics can be meaningfully analyzed through the general concept of cold war. This conversation was edited for clarity.