Edmund Burke has long been regarded as one of the most important political thinkers of the late eighteenth century, and his writings and speeches continue to inspire and challenge to the present day. But Burke's thinking on international relations has not been fully addressed by the scholarly community. This situation is ironic given that so much of Burke's political efforts and thoughts were directed at international events and controversies, particularly British policies toward Ireland, America, India, and revolutionary France.David Fidler and Jennifer Welsh provide the first comprehensive presentation of Burke's thinking on international relations in Empire and Community: Edmund Burke's Writings and Speeches on International Relations. They analyze in detail Burke's perspective on international relations developed during his long and distinguished parliamentary career, establishing him as a ?classical thinker? on international relations; they also analyze where Burke's perspective on international relations belongs theoretically in the contemporary study of the subject. These analyses are followed by edited selections from Burke's writings and speeches on Ireland, America, India, and the French Revolution. Empire and Community gives Burke's thinking on international relations the emphasis and scholarly attention it deserves.

This volume includes extensive selections from Edmund Burke's writings (and speeches) on India, America, and Ireland, which illustrate the depth of his thinking on such subjects as national identity, rights of self-determination, and the relations among peoples.