International Relations

International Relations

1. First Debate

   • Idealists
   • Realists

2. Second Debate (Realist School)

   • English School
     • Henry Bull
     • Traditional method
     • Looking at norms
     • International Society
   • Scientific Method
     • Kaplan
     • International System

3. Third Debate

   • Realism
     • Anarchic international system
     • Interests of States
     • Machiavellian Politics
     • decisions are based on external factors
     • Focuses on power and selfishness
     • Hans J. Morgenthau
     • States are most important actors
     • States primary concern: survival
       • Military: to survive, but leads to security dilemma
     • Humans are self-centered and competitive
     • Defensive Realism/Neorealism
       • Kenneth Waltz
       • Security dilemma: core assumption
       • States - security maximizers
     • Offensive Realism / Realism
       • John Mearshimer
       • States - aggressive power maximizers NOT security maximizers
       • All states seek to increase their power bec. one state can never be sure of other states' intentions.
       • unavoidable uncertainty, so security dilemma is inescapable
       • Offensive military capability constitutes a great power
     • IR is a story of great power politics
   • Liberal Institutionalism
     • Domestic Politics affect foreign policies
     • States are the main actors in int'l system
     • Calculations about power matter little for explaining the behavior of good states.
     • Robert Keohane
   • Globalism/Maxism
     • Int'l system can be explained in terms of imperial context; it's a capitalist system where there's resistance

4. (Emerging) Fourth Debate

   • Rationalists
     • it's about how we continue to exist based on the ideas that we actually have
     • Hegelian (material)
     • Realism and LI --> material theories (military capability, econ capacities)
   • Constructivists (from idealists)
     • we don't talk about what is present but what we want to attain/construct; we can reconstruct our social relations
     • Marxist (idea)