Conspiracy

Conspiracies are common in international politics, yet the identification of international conspiracies occupy a troubled place in political culture. Conspiracy theories explain events and circumstances with reference to malign plots by the powerful, who secretly pull the strings of world affairs. This mode of explanation has been positioned both as the irrational delusion of alienated individuals, which sometimes spreads into populist politics, and as a crude but potentially productive form of populist critique. A third tradition positions the term ‘conspiracy theory’ as a delegitimizing label that points away from the content of specific claims and towards the social-psychological competence of the person making it. The relationship between power and knowledge is at stake here when the language of paranoia and irrationality circulate around issues of foreign policy controversy. While this relationship is important, some conspiracy narratives, often those embedded in wider ideologies, are so pernicious that delegitimization is utterly appropriate.