IR Theories

Question 1

What is a theory?

Answer 1

Help us make sense of a complex world

—Theory cannot equip the mind with formulas for solving problems, nor can it mark the narrow path on which the sole solution is supposed to lie by planting a hedge of principles on either side. But it can give the mind insight into the great mass of phenomena and of their relationships, then leave it free to rise into the higher realms of action

Question 2

IR Theories help us to…

Answer 2

Explain state behavior
Apply key concepts to explain the interaction of states in the international political system
—Anarchy
—Sovereignty
—Power
Levels of Analysis- Individual, State, System

Question 3

What is Realism?

Answer 3

paradigm based on the premise that world politics is essentially and unchangeably a struggle among self-interested states for power and position under anarchy, with each competing state pursuing its own national interests.

Question 4

John Mearsheimer, U of Chicago

Answer 4

Mearsheimer is best known for developing the theory of offensive realism, which describes the interaction between great powers as being primarily driven by the rational desire to achieve regional hegemony in an anarchic international system
—believes that China’s growing power will likely bring it into conflict with the United States.

Question 5

What is the Realist Worldview?

Answer 5

Views states as most important actor
Primary goal is national interest
Repetitive struggle for power
Security dilemma → perpetuates self-help
Stability maintained with a balance of power
Cooperation is difficult

Question 6

Self-help

Answer 6

principle that, because in international anarchy all global actors are independent, they must rely on themselves to provide for their security and well-being.

Question 7

Relative gains

Answer 7

conditions in which some participants in cooperative interactions benefit more than others

Question 8

National interest

Answer 8

goals that states pursue to maximize what they perceive to be selfishly best for their country.

Question 9

Security dilemma

Answer 9

tendency of states to view the defensive arming of adversaries as threatening, causing them to arm. In response to that, all states’ security declines.

Question 10

Balance of power

Answer 10

theory that peace and stability are most likely to be maintained when military power is distributed to prevent a single superpower hegemony or bloc from controlling the world.

Question 11

Bloc

Answer 11

a combination of countries, parties, or groups sharing a common purpose.

Question 12

Realisms Connections

Answer 12

Anarchy & Rational States → Existential Threat → Pursuit of Security and National Interests → Competition for Pow → Security Dilemma → Balance of Power (Stability or Hegemony)

Question 13

Hegemony (US after Cold War)

Answer 13

One overwhelmingly powerful state
Stable, but unlikely
Smaller states may try to balance against

Question 14

Bipolarity (Cold War)

Answer 14

Two power centers/great powers
Stable and likely
Smaller states become part of spheres of influence

Question 15

Multipolarity (WWI and WWII)

Answer 15

Several roughly equal powerful states
Very unstable (unpredictable, miscalculations) and likely
Fluid alliances

Question 16

Limitations of Realist Thought

Answer 16

Offered no criteria for evaluating its claims
Did not account for new developments in world politics
—Overly focused on war and conflict
—Rise of Liberal Internationalism, Constructivism

Question 17

Caution about theories

Answer 17

Choosing which theory to use is an important task, because each one rests on different assumptions about the nature of international politics, advances different claims about causes, and offers a different set of foreign policy recommendations.

Question 18

Always remember when choosing theories

Answer 18

No single theory has proven capable of making international events understandable for every global circumstance.
These concepts are academic schools of thought.
The “Isms” are analytical tools for explaining what happened;
They are neither prescriptive nor predictive tools.
Few policymakers adhere strictly to a particular school of thought.

Question 19

Liberalism

Answer 19

aradigm predicated on the hope that the application of reason and universal ethics to international relations can lead to a more orderly, just, and cooperative world; liberalism assumes that anarchy and war can be policed by institutional reforms that empower international organization and law.

Question 20

Diplomacy

Answer 20

communication and negotiation between global actors that is not dependent upon the use of force and seeks a cooperative solution.

Question 21

Zero-sum

Answer 21

an exchange in a purely conflictual relationship in which what is gained by one competitor is lost by the other.

Question 22

The Evolution of Liberalism

Answer 22

Liberal thought shaped by pioneers such as Hume and Kant (pictured)
Contemporary liberalism emerged after World War I
— The League of Nations and collective security
— Adjudication and the Permanent Court of International Justice
— Disarmament and the Washington Naval Conference
— Few goals attempted or achieved

Question 23

Collective security

Answer 23

security regime agreed to by the great powers that sets rules for keeping peace, guided by the principle that an act of aggression by any state will be met by a collective response from the rest.

Question 24

The Limitations of Liberalism

Answer 24

IGOs do not prevent balance-of-power logic
Many IGOs are economic in nature and do not address national defense
Foreign policy framed as a moral crusade

Question 25

Geopolitics, Realists

Answer 25

Realists tend to see borders as concrete definers and protectors of state sovereignty and security.

Question 26

Geopolitics, Liberals

Answer 26

Liberals are more likely to view geography in terms of how places are integrated into the global system with stability lying in well integrated, predominantly democratic and capitalistic states with and instability and threats emanating from less integrated rogue states and ungoverned spaces

Question 27

Geopolitics, Constructivists

Answer 27

Constructivists are less concerned with physical geography and location and more so on how spaces are socially constructed or perceived.

Question 28

What is Constructivism

Answer 28

paradigm based on the premise that world politics is a function of the ways that states construct and then accept images of reality and later respond to the meanings given to power politics; as consensual definitions change, it is possible for either conflictual or cooperative practices to evolve.
People have agency and can reflect on their environment and change

Question 29

What is the Constructivist Worldview?

Answer 29

Our understanding of the world is individually and socially constructed
–Intersubjective human action (thought communities/ prevailing attitudes create beliefs, based on shared social experiences, etc.)
–We “Build” reality through ideas & values; The world is not a given, but “made” & “remade” (Imagined Communities)
Identity, norms, social interactions matter
–Meaning of concepts depends on shared knowledge
–How the world works, what is unchangeable, what can be reformed
Social Context is important to understanding the international system/ international relations
–No set national interest; elements of sovereignty can/will change and evolve
–Importance of NGOs & human rights
–Not state-centric
Ideas and interests of actors can/may change
Norms
–Generalized standards of behavior that, once accepted, shape collective expectations about appropriate conduct.

Question 30

Constructivism – some examples … Where do these come from??

Answer 30

overeignty
–Rule for state behavior & diplomatic practice
–Slowly eroding?
–International human rights norms – R2P
–Limiting civilian casualties in warfare
When did militaries become concerned and why?
–Europe – Years and years of conflict
1945-present 🡪 “zone of peace”
–Realism = continued conflict
–Why not?

Question 31

The Evolution of Constructivist Thought

Answer 31

Emerged after fall of Soviet Union, rise of religious fundamentalism, and growth of micro-nationalism
Peaceful end to the Cold War not foreseen by liberalism or realism
Social constructivism
–variant of constructivism that emphasizes the role of social discourse in the development of ideas and identities
Agent-oriented constructivism
–variant of constructivism that sees ideas and identities as influenced in part by independent actors.
New norms
A new strand of constructivism emphasizes intersubjective instability and the role of psychology in shaping ideas and practices

Question 32

Limitations of Constructivism

Answer 32

General social scientific framework as opposed to a theory or a paradigm
Lacks specific assumptions about world politics
Not sure which factors cause which ideas to become dominant
Supplements rather than supplants realism and liberalism

Question 33

Pioneering Influences on Constructivist Thought 

Answer 33

Many constructivists have been influenced by critical theory, especially as it was developed by Max Horkheimer (1947), and Jurgen Habermas (1984). Rather than viewing the world as a set of neutral, objective “facts” that could be perceived apart from the situation in which observation occurred, critical theorists saw all phenomena as being embedded within a specific sociohistorical context ascribing normative meaning to information.
Although constructivists have offered “path-breaking perspectives in the study of international politics” that share certain distinctive themes, some argue that constructivism is not a theory as such, but rather a general social scientific framework or “meta-approach.” Whereas theoretical paradigms embrace a set of assumptions about how politics work, “constructivism is a set of assumptions about how to study politics,” and hence is compatible with a variety of paradigms. Along this line of argument, constructivism supplements rather than supplants realism and liberalism.