International Relations and Approaches



International Relations and Approaches

Question 1:

Describe the three primary approaches to international relations, and outline their assumptions about the nature of the international order, the main actors in the international system, and the prospects for long-term stability. Which of these methods is more accurate in explaining the relationship between the great powers in the post-Cold War era? Offer at least two empirical examples to support your answer.

There are various methods and theories available to understand the concept and framework on which international relations could be analyzed. According to Holsti, these methods serve as a filter to understand only the salient events that are relevant (Stepehen and Johns, 2011). Three significant and popular methods that took place in International relations (IR) are liberalism, realism and constructivism. Political realism or simply realism has been the theory of IR since the beginning of the discipline (Stephen and Johns, 2011). The theory relies on the traditional thought which includes writers such as Machiavelli, Thucydides and Hobbes. Realism in the early age can be described as a response against interwar idealist beliefs. Realist thinkers believe that the conflicts raised in World War II was due to the lack of idealist thinkers. There are many tenets of the theory and are characterized as survival, statism and self-help (Stephen and Johns, 2011).

Realist believes that the central actors in the international politics are the states of nations. Therefore, it could be stated that realism is a state centered theory. This is quite similar to the liberal theory which uses the roles of international institutions and non-state actors (Snyder, 2004). According to realists, the international system is governed by anarchy, which means that there exist no authorities. Hence, the struggle of international politics is for power between self interested nations and states (Wendit, 1992). However, realism has several key assumptions. It assumes that the states in nations are geographically based actors in an international system and are unitary with no authorities above able of modifiable interactions between states and no government authority exists. Moreover, it has also an assumption that NGOs, IGOs and MNCs and other sovereign states are the main actors in IR (International Relations). Hence states, being above all are in competition with themselves. Realism further assumes that states in their interests will attempt to collect resources and that the relationships between states are in respect of their level of strength. The level of power is determined by the capability of states` economic, military and political strength.

Social Constructivism or simply constructivism is expressed as a contest to the dominance of neo-realist and neo-liberal international relations theories. The international theory of constructivist is based on the assumption which describes the international structure and how this structure describes the identities and interests of the state and how state actors redevelop this structure. The key idea of this theory is that the cognitive structure constructs international reality which gives an understanding to the material world. Liberalism is a philosophy or viewpoint based on the ideas of equality and ...