International relations
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International relations is the study of politics between states.[1] Until recently, this mostly meant the study of war and diplomacy (so-called "high politics") but has in recent years been expanded to include trade, ethnic relations, human rights, and any other topic that might cross state boundaries.
There are many different methods, or schools, of studying international relations. All of these schools operate under very different assumptions. However, the biggest difference between them is the question of what is worth studying. The only axiom that nearly all schools agree on is that the international system is anarchic. The following are the major schools within the United States, though many others exist.
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[edit] Realism
In the strongest theory, until very recently, realism studies material power. Operating under the assumptions that all states will behave rationally, and that all states seek to maximize power (so as to avoid destruction by other states in an anarchic system), realism typically portrays a world in which arms races and wars are common. Realism suggests that the only way to prevent war is to make it too deadly to the other side. This is why most realists advocate nuclear proliferation, noting that no two nuclear armed countries have ever gone to war.
Realism was founded by Hans Morgenthau in the aftermath of World War II, noting that the traditional liberal views that had dominated prior to World War II had set up many of the conditions that led to it. Currently, the two main types of neorealism are those of offensive neorealism, as popularized by Mearsheimer,[2] and defensive neorealism, as popularized by Waltz and Jervis. Defensive neorealism believes that most states will not attack each other, except by awful miscalculation, whereas offensive neorealism believes that states are expansionistic by nature.
[edit] Liberalism
Liberalism was originally the international philosophy of idealists like Woodrow Wilson. After World War II, it was largely discredited. However, it was revived as "neoliberal institutionalism" in the 1970s, with the belief that while institutions cannot prevent war entirely, they can increase the costs of aggression. Keohane is the most prominent neoliberal.
Modern liberalism also relies heavily on rational choice modeling and game theory for demonstrating its ideas.
Another large difference between liberalism and realism is that liberalism believes that the internal structure of states matters. Whereas realism believes that all states act the same, regardless of structure, liberals hold to the "democratic peace theory," and so strive to increase the democracy in the world.
[edit] Constructivism
Constructivism is the study of norms and their creation. From this perspective, power is less important than how states can use that power. Moreover, constructivists believe that no norm in the international system is fundamental, even the anarchic one. Therefore, if states wished to get rid of anarchy, they could do so, but it is not in the interest of the states.
Alexander Wendt is the best known constructivist, though he is one of the few to really study direct state to state interactions. Most others prefer to study norm entrepreneurs and how outside actors can affect the system.
[edit] Critical Theorists
Critical theorists study how to "increase freedom" for individuals. In the context of IR, this is done mostly by showing the internal contradictions within each other theory. This is less a theory of IR and more a methodology for trying to change the social order.
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ Normally, it also includes any kind of politics that transcend state boundaries, though the neologism "transnational politics" is starting to find some currency.
- ↑ Most noted in the press for his paper and book on "the Israel Lobby," which among IR scholars shredded his credibility
[edit] See also
- A good site for a brief overview of many ideas in International Relations can be found at http://www.irtheory.com/know
