- Émeric Crucé
Émeric Crucé [Émeric de la Croix, Emericus Cruceus] (1590-1648) was a French political writer, known for the "Nouveau Cynée" (1623), a pioneer work on
international relations .Life
Little specific is known about him. He taught in a college in Paris, and is said to have been a monk, supposed to have been from a humble background. [ [http://www.europeanspirit.gr/biblioteca/rougemont_europe.html European Spirit - Biblioteca Europeana - Denis de Rougemont: "Europe Unites" ] ] .
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, active around 300 BC, and known for his emphasis on peace. Crucé made peace central to his philosophical and political thought.He is pacifist in tone, and envisages an international body to maintain peace. It should be a permanent gathering princes, or their representatives, in session at
Venice ; its task would be to resolve disputes. Radically, the suggestion is that the Islamic powers would participate [John Bagnell Bury , "The Idea of Progress" (2004 reprint), p. 88.] , in this permanentpeace congress ; Crucé's thinking runs along the lines of a common humanity [Darren J. O'Byrne, "The Dimensions of Global Citizenship: Political Identity Beyond the Nation-state" (2003), p. 64.] .His system relies on a measure of
free trade [ [http://www.globalpolicy.org/reform/intro/1999jinx.htm A Brief History of the Quest for Peace ] ] , and proposes asingle currency , and standardizedweights and measures . There is an emphasis on social and economic objectives, andpublic spending .Crucé's ideas are in sharp contrast to those of
Jean Bodin , based onnational sovereignty and the acceptance of war.Notes
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