IR people

Question 1

STANLEY HOFFMAN

Answer 1

• said that IR as a discipline started in the US (because of its intellectual predispositions; political circumstances; Institutional opportunities)
• disregards the impossible quest for stability –> should be more focus on how domestic and international politics interact
• IR needs reform by focusing more on relations between large and small states rather than bipolarism
• Sees more problems within IR discipline.

Question 2

OLE WAEVER

Answer 2

• American’s dominate the field of IR
• there is only a small but not insignificant difference between American and global IR;
• For a long time, Europe focused on subfields. Now it started to change
• US prefers rational choice approaches versus more European interest in constructivism and postmodernism
• Says that there is a global IR theory - American one.

Question 3

MARTIN WRIGHT

Answer 3

• criticizes IR as a discipline
• Political science has a longer history of development
• according to him, IR is focused on the balance of power and state actors.
• IR has 2 main goals that are impossible or IR has nothing to do with: achieve one-world state and peace within the international system.
• IR lacks the progression that domestic politics has (focus on building strong economies, social welfare, etc.)
• International laws and agreements usually happen as a reaction to current events.