International Theory

IR Theory

IR Theory

Theories that describe different aspects of international politics and offer competing versions of what world politics is all about.

Realism

A dominant theory in IR that views politics as a continuous struggle for power and emphasizes the possibility of war in international politics.

Meta-theoretical considerations

Exploratory and constitutive theories, and positivist and interpretive theories that inform different IR theories.

Main Theories

Realism, liberalism, marxism, constructivism, post-structuralism, feminism, post-colonialism.

Raison D'etat

The state as the main actor in international relations, pursuing its own survival and self-interests.

Security Dilemma

When the security of one state is perceived as a threat by another state, leading to unresolvable uncertainty and potential conflict.

Power

Survival in international politics, not granted but independently pursued by each state, relative to the capabilities of others.

Balance of Power thesis

States seek to prevent a state from militarily dominating others, leading to balancing and alliance formation.

Classical Realism

the goal of every state is to maximize its power. States seek their own self-interest, defined in terms of power (although this does not preclude a moral component. A balance of power is essential

Structural Realism (Neo-realism)

An anarchical system fosters fear and insecurity, leading to self-help and the maximization of security or power.

Neoclassical Realism

Structural realism is incomplete, and unit-level variables such as power perception and leadership affect state behavior. States differ both in interests and their ability to extract resources

Critiques of Realism

Statism: flawed on empirical grounds (the state faces challenges) and normative grounds (the state cannot respond to collective global problems)

Survival: the question of whether there are limits to the actions a state can take in the name of necessity

Self-help: not an inevitable consequence of anarchy, but rather a logic that states have selected.

Realism Key Concepts

Ontological, Strategic, Alliances

Liberalism

A theory that focuses on cooperation, preference formation, and the possibility of a peaceful world.

Commercial Liberalism

Free trade and economic interdependence lead to peace, wealth produces peace.

Republican Liberalism

Republican government leads to peaceful behavior internationally, democratic peace theory.

Democratic Peace theory

Liberal democracies rarely fight each other due to popular support, checks and balances, international commerce, rule of law, and shared ideology/values.

Democratization Agenda

The push for liberal democracies as part of stability and development agendas, but problems with democratic peace theory.

Liberalism in Practice

security as the safety of individuals, widening/deepening security.

Neo-Liberalism/Liberal Institutionalism

A critique of realism that shares a rational choice approach and centrality of states, emphasizes cooperation, complex interdependence, regimes, and institutions for global governance.

Regimes and Institutions

can produce cooperation and influence the future course of politics.

Neo-Neo Debate

Refers to the debate between Neo-Realism and Neo-Liberalism over cooperation in international politics.

Neorealism

Neorealists are cautious about cooperation in international politics.

Neoliberalism

Neoliberals believe that states can be persuaded not to cheat and can make absolute gains through cooperation.

High Politics

Neorealists focus on high politics in their study of international events.

Low Politics

Neoliberals focus on low politics in their study of international events.

Marxism

A theory that analyzes the problems evident in capitalism, such as financial crisis, sustainability, ethical concerns, and inequality.

Historical Materialism

Processes of historical change are a reflection of the economic development of society.

Base-Superstructure Model

Class conflict is a key determinant in historical developments.

Three S

statism, survival, self-help

World-Systems Theory

Modern capitalism has led to a two-tier system, with a dominant core exploiting a less developed periphery.

Gramscianism

consent is created by the hegemony of the ruling class in society - meaning that the superstructure is more important than some Marxists believe

Critical Theory

Acknowledges that theory is always for someone and for some purpose, where facts and values are not distinct.

New Marxism

Thinkers who have derived their ideas more directly from Marx and are primarily concerned with historical materialism.

Alienation

A sense of separation or estrangement from something.

Constructivism

Argues for the importance of norms, ideas, identity, and rules in international politics.

Social Construction of International Politics

Constructivism focuses on the role of human consciousness and the construction of reality in world politics.

Regulative Rules

Rules that regulate already existing activities.

Constitutive Rules

Rules that create the very possibility for those activities.

Logic of Consequences

Attributes action to anticipated costs and benefits.

Logic of Appropriateness

Highlights how actors are rule-following and worry about the legitimacy of their actions.

Meaning and Power

Constructivists examine how actors make their activities meaningful and how culture informs the meanings given to practices.

Practices

Contrary to rational choice theorists, constructivists talk about actors' practices rather than behavior

Socialization

Explains how states change their behavior to be consistent with the group.

Diffusion

How particular models, practices, norms, strategies, or beliefs spread within a population and between actors in the system.

Transnational Civil Society

Non-state, non-profit, non-violent organizations that shape collective life beyond the territorial and institutional space of states.

Power of TCS

Mechanisms of persuasion and coercion used by transnational civil society.

Land Mine Campaign

A campaign focused on the prohibition of land mines and the reduction of civilian casualties.

Ottawa Treaty 1997

A treaty that prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines.

Theoretical Implications

How different theories explain global change and the role of key states, international institutions, hegemonic blocs, and changes in identity and interest.

Nuclear Taboo

A forceful normative prohibition against the use of nuclear weapons.

Critical Theory

A diverse school of thought that questions the structure of oppression inherent in culture and society.

Securitization

The process of framing an issue as a security matter.

Speech Acts

Concrete actions performed by virtue of being said, such as declaring an issue as a security threat.

Securitization Theory

Analyzes how an issue becomes securitized and removed from ordinary political processes to the security agenda.

Referent Object

Things that are seen to be existentially threatened and have a legitimate claim to survival.

Securitizing Actors

Actors who declare a specific referent object as threatened and in need of security measures.

Security

The concept of security is socially constructed and relies on a shared understanding of what is considered a threat to security.

Authority

A speaker who has the power and credibility to make claims or speak the language of security.

Language of security

The specific terminology and discourse used to discuss security-related issues.

Audience

The group of people who accept the authority of the speaker and engage in discussions on security.

Recognized context

A setting or environment where discussions on security are acknowledged and given importance.

De-securitization

The process of shifting issues from the threat-defense sequence to the ordinary public sphere, removing their classification as security concerns.

Bureaucracies

Organizational structures that tend to be slow in adapting to changes and shifting issues from the security realm to the political realm.

Post-structuralism

studies the social world. Can never be reduced to cause-effect and nothing can be taken for granted

Post-structuralism: discourse

The codes of words are never truly fixed, because the connections between words is never given once and for all

Post-structuralism: Genealogy

what political practices have formed the present and which alternative understandings and discourses have been marginalized and often forgotten

Deconstructing State Sovereignty

can be conceptualized as a division of the world as an 'inside' the state (where the is order, trust, loyalty, and progress) and an 'outside' the state (where there is conflict, suspicion, self-help and anarchy)

Feminism

is fundamentally rooted in an analysis of the global subordination of women - which can occur economically, politically, physically, and socially and is dedicated to this eliminated

Womens international League of Peace and Freedom

• Ensured that the league of nations addressed the participation and status of women in international politics: legal, social, and economic status of women

Feminism in IR theory

Concerned with exposing both positivist and post-positivist theories of IR as partial, biased, and limited

Critical Feminist IR Theory

highlight the broader social, economic, and political relationships that structure relational power

Post-structural Feminist Theory

illuminates the constitutive role of language in creating gendered knowledge and experiences

Postcolonial Feminist IR Theory

seeks to situate historical knowledge a of colonialism and post-colonialism as intersecting with economic, social, and political oppression and change