Irony in International Politics - by Johanna Vuorelma

About the Book

Examines the use of ironic language among political leaders in international politics.

Book Synopsis

Irony in International Politics investigates ironic language in international politics, focusing on how political leaders use irony to articulate failures of the liberal international order. Underlining the political, performative, and affective nature of irony in international politics, the book introduces a novel typology of four forms of irony: justice-seeking irony, hegemony-seeking irony, recognition-seeking irony, and disruption-seeking irony. Irony is typically understood as a tool of the underdog who seeks to reveal the hypocritical nature of the powerful, but Irony in International Politics shows that irony is increasingly used by the powerful who expose that there is a wide gap between the ideal and the actual in international politics. Studying cases from Turkey, the United Kingdom, Hungary, the United States, Sweden, Germany, Greece, and Russia, the book illustrates how the post-Cold War era represents a distinct scene of irony with its particular identity struggles and power asymmetries that have prompted ironic reactions.

Review Quotes

Ironists of the World, unite! Vuorelma diligently analyses how both the established and the outsiders in the liberal world order reveal its contradictions through the shared discursive strategy of irony. Irony in International Politics is a must read for IR scholars interested in the study of discourse and agency.--Bahar Rumelili, Koç University

Vuorelma carefully situates the concept of irony in philosophical and discursive terms to provide a compelling critique of the liberal west's increasingly fraught politics. Bringing to light the ironic interventions of key political actors like Varoufakis and Trump, she offers a sophisticated analysis distinguishing between multiple forms of irony to illuminate the deeper cultural and political stakes of our hyper-mediatised present. An impressive accomplishment!--James Brassett, University of Warwick