Émeric Crucé (1590–1648) was a French political writer, known for the ''Nouveau Cynée'' (1623), a pioneer work on

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

. He advocated for an international pacific body of representatives of many countries.

Life

Little specifics are known about him. He taught in a college in Paris, is said to have been a monk, and is supposed to have been from a humble background.

The "New Cyneas"

The ''Nouveau Cynée ou Discours d'Estat représentant les occasions et moyens d'establir une paix générale et la liberté de commerce pour tout le monde'' takes its name from Cyneas, a diplomat-statesman of the ancient world who was active around 300 BC and known for his emphasis on

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

. Crucé, in accordance with Cyneas, made peace central to his philosophical and political thought. Crucé took the position that

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

s were the result of international misunderstandings and the domination of society by the warrior class, both of which could be reduced through commerce which brought people together. He is pacifist in tone, and envisages an international body to maintain peace. It should be a permanent gathering of princes, or their representatives, in session at

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, whose task would be to resolve national or international disputes. Radically, he suggests that the

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic powers would participate in this permanent peace congress; Crucé's thinking runs along the lines of a common humanity. Membership of this body would be completely voluntary. His system relies on a measure of

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

,A Brief History of the Quest for Peace
/ref> and proposes a single currency and standardized

weights and measures A unit of measurement, or unit of measure, is a definite magnitude (mathematics), magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other qua ...

. There is an emphasis on social and economic objectives, as well as

public spending Government spending or expenditure includes all government consumption, investment, and transfer payments. In national income accounting, the acquisition by governments of goods and services for current use, to directly satisfy the individual o ...

. Crucé's ideas are in sharp contrast to those of

Jean Bodin Jean Bodin (; ; – 1596) was a French jurist and political philosopher, member of the Parlement of Paris and professor of law in Toulouse. Bodin lived during the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation and wrote against the background of reli ...

, whose ideas are based on

national sovereignty A nation state, or nation-state, is a political entity in which the state (a centralized political organization ruling over a population within a territory) and the nation (a community based on a common identity) are (broadly or ideally) co ...

and the acceptance of war.

Notes

External links

* * Mansfield, Andrew (2013) 'Émeric Crucé's Nouveau Cynée (1623): universal peace and free trade'. Journal of Interdisciplinary History of Ideas, 2 (4). pp. 2–23. ISSN 2280-8574 - http://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/jihi/article/view/170 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruce, Emeric 1590 births 1648 deaths French male writers