Idealism resurgent (and what realists should do about it): Ideas and foreign aid

David Lumsdaine's study on the role of moral beliefs in the foreign aid regime represents the apex of a recent resurgence in idealist approaches to international relations, including the emergence of a so‐called ‘constructivist’ perspective. In reviewing these contributions, the author argues in favour of treating beliefs other than moral ones as important in developing a fuller understanding of the cognitive dynamics of foreign aid. He also suggests that the role of norms in the foreign aid regime requires special attention, and the need to complement an idealist appreciation for the causal role of ideas with a realist perspective on the role of power and strategy in creation the conditions for the efficaciousness of ideas.