Abstract

Despite occupying a central role and frequently being used in the study of international politics, the concept of the "event" remains in many ways unchallenged and unexplored. By combining the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and his concept of the event with the example of "9/11" this book problematises the role and meaning of "events" in international politics. Specifically, it problematises the notion of the "event" as a central reference point in time, or as a coherent unitary whole that refers to something specific that has happened in a fixed moment in time. The book shows, firstly, how Deleuze’s philosophy opens up to a different way of thinking about events, highlighting the role of various processes and movements that disrupt linear timelines and fixed moments in time. Secondly, the book demonstrates how "big" or "global" political "events" can be understood in terms of ongoing and continuous processes of becoming, conditioned by the interaction of various forces and movements that ry to determine the content and meaning of "events" whilst always in a sense failing to do so. Thirdly and finally, the book articulates a way of thinking about the politics as well as ethics of encountering "events," arguing that at the heart of such encounters there are alwayselements of uncertainty and contingency that cannot be fully resolved or fixed. This will be the first book to offer a serious engagement with the "event" in international politics, providing an original account of how it is possible to analyse its various dimensions as well asits significance for understanding politics and the "political" more generally.