Theories of International Relations

1
Theories of International Relations

• Realism and Neo-Realism

2
Learning Objectives

• Why do students of international relations rely
  on theory?
• Differences between theories, opinions, and other
  sources of social knowledge
• Principles of Realism and Neo-realism

3
Key Terms

• Anarchy
• Balance of power
• Paradigm
• Rationality
• Self-help
• Theory

4
What are Theories?

• Logically coherent explanations of some
  phenomenon or phenomena.
• Make predictions about future
• Differ from authority, tradition, common sense,
  personal experience, opinion
• Derive from paradigms

5
Realism

• Realism has been the dominant theory of world
  politics since the beginning of the academic
  study of International Relations.
• Roots of Realism can be traced to the work of
  people such as Thucydides, Hobbes, and
  Machiavelli all of whom were skeptical about the
  capacity of human reason to deliver moral
  progress.

6
What Unites Realists? Overview

• The unifying theme around which all realist
  thinking converges is that states find themselves
  operating in an anarchic realm that places their
  security constantly at risk.
• States respond to this situation by competing for
  power and security.
• It is rational for states to self-help.

7
What Unites Realists Survival

• The primary objective of all states is survival.
• This is the supreme national interest to which
  all political leaders must adhere.
• All other goals such as economic prosperity are
  secondary (or low politics).
• In order to preserve the security of their state,
  leaders must use ends-means calculations.

8
What Unites Realists Self-help

• No other state or institution can be relied upon
  to guarantee survival.
• Coexistence is achieved through the balance of
  power.

9
What Divides Realists?

• Human nature vs. Anarchy
• Are states prone to violence because people are
  fundamentally flawed or because the nature of the
  world creates incentives for violence?

10
Neo-realism

• New Realism focuses on the structural causes of
  war and competition.
• Anarchy promotes competition and war, not
  friendship, trust, and honor
• Absence of global government generates
  uncertainty.
• Opportunities for cooperation are limited.

11
The World as Prisoners Dilemma
12
Offensive and Defensive Realists

• Structural realism divides into two camps
• Offensive realists states are power maximizers
• Defensive realists States are security maximizers

13
Criticisms of Realism

• Self-help is not an inevitable consequence of the
  absence of a world government.
• Self-help is a logic that states have selected.
• Some states prefer collective security in
  preference to self-help.
• Non-state organizations and multi-national
  corporations are increasingly powerful in the
  modern world.

14
Criticisms of Realism cont.

• Balances of power are not inevitable.
• Unclear why states have not moved to balance
  against the power of the United States.
• The survival motive may not be universal.