This article addresses growing calls for a fifth debate on international relations’ (IR) “race amnesia.” The central argument is two-fold. First, contrary to conventional wisdom, racial justice was not omitted in “orthodox” scholarship—in particular Morgenthau’s realism. On the contrary, classical realists repeatedly critiqued the lack of racial justice throughout their careers. Second, racial justice was not only a concern for Morgenthau but also integral to his conception of the national interest, particularly in the Vietnam War. To Morgenthau, the national interest failed in Vietnam because the United States failed to define its purpose at home. Fundamental to its purpose was the question of racial justice. Morgenthau’s conception of the national interest has an enduring impact on contemporary realist scholarship. This scholarship engages with issues that are relevant to postcolonial IR, such as the pursuit of primacy in the War on Terror, the backlash in the form of Trumpism, and the Black Lives Matter protests. Morgenthau’s work provides the intellectual roots that sustain these arguments. For a fifth debate on race in IR to materialize, it is thus this neglected dimension in Morgenthau’s writing that postcolonial scholarship needs to engage with.

中文翻译：

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走向IR的“第五场辩论”：古典现实主义中的种族正义与国家利益


本文回应了越来越多的关于国际关系（IR）“种族失忆症”第五次辩论的呼声。中心论点有两个方面。首先，与传统观点相反，“正统”学术——尤其是摩根索的现实主义——并没有忽视种族正义。相反，古典现实主义者在其整个职业生涯中反复批评种族正义的缺乏。其次，种族正义不仅是摩根索关心的问题，而且也是他国家利益观念的组成部分，特别是在越南战争中。对摩根索来说，国家利益在越南失败是因为美国未能明确其在国内的目标。其目的的根本是种族正义问题。摩根索的国家利益观对当代现实主义学术产生了持久的影响。该奖学金涉及与后殖民国际关系相关的问题，例如在反恐战争中追求首要地位、特朗普主义形式的强烈抵制以及“黑人的命也是命”抗议活动。摩根索的著作提供了支持这些论点的知识根源。因此，为了实现国际关系中关于种族的第五场辩论，后殖民学术界需要探讨的正是摩根索著作中被忽视的这一维度。