More handpicked essays just for you.
International relations concepts
International relations concepts
Three traditions of international relations
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The world around us is an increasingly complex web of interactions, relations and events that shape the very reality we live in. There is an ever growing list of theories that claim to hold the answers to understanding this web and the International Relations that occur in response to it. Among these theories, Realism and Constructivism stand out as clear examples of how varied they can be. Both of these assert that they describe the underlying frameworks of our global society and make sense of the seemingly chaotic world around us. “Realism emphasizes the constraints on politics imposed by human nature and the absence of international government. Together, they make international relations largely a realm of power and interest” (Donnelly 2000, 9). This concentration on power and lack of international government puts the focus on the States and their relation to each other. This is often summed up as the three Ss: Statism, Survival, and Self-Help (Lamy, et al. 2011, 66-67). States are considered the primary and only real players in the global arena and in International Relations themselves. It is assumed that these states will act only on their best interests and to perpetuate their own survival. Very few if any domestic issues actually impact the global level of international politics based on this theory. As Peter J. Katzenstein is quoted, for Realists, “culture and identity are, at best, derivative of the distribution of capabilities and have no independent explanatory power” (van Ham 2010, 46). Instead the global system structure is considered the prime and nearly only force that determines the state of politics and the actions available. Richard Jackson and Matt McDonald suggest that, “in essence, Constructivists working i... ... middle of paper ... ... Louisiana State Museum. Louisiana Purchase. n.d. http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/cabildo/cab4.htm (accessed September 25, 2011). Realism Donnelly, Jack. Realism and International Relations. Cambridge University Press, 2000. Lamy, Steven L, John Baylis, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens. Introduction to Global Politics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Parmar, Inderjeet, Linda B Miller, and Mark Ledwidge. New Directions in US Foreign Policy. Routledge, 2009. van Ham, Peter. Social Power in International Politics. Routledge, 2010. Constructivism Lamy, Steven L, John Baylis, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens. Introduction to Global Politics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Parmar, Inderjeet, Linda B Miller, and Mark Ledwidge. New Directions in US Foreign Policy. Routledge, 2009. van Ham, Peter. Social Power in International Politics. Routledge, 2010.
Edkins, Jenny, and Maja Zehfuss. Global Politics: A New Introduction. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2009. Print.
Frieden, Jeffry A., David A. Lake, and Kenneth A. Schultz. World Politics. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2013. Print.
Mingst, K. A. (2011). Essentials of international relations. (5th ed., p. 81). New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.
Mingst, Karen A. Essentials of International Relations. New York : W.W. Norton & Co., 2008.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Shiraev, Eric B., and Vladislav M. Zubok. International Relations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Silver, Larry.
" Journal of International Affairs 52.2 (1999): 691. Academic Search Elite -. Web. The Web. The Web.
Mearsheimer J. J. (2010). Structural Realism. International Relations Thoeries, Discipline and Diversity (Second Edition), p.77-94
Understanding the World ‘We’ Live in’, International Affairs, Vol. 80, No. I, (2004) pp. 75-87.
Nye, Jr., Joseph S. “Hard and Soft Power in American Foreign Policy.” In Paradox of American Power. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. 4-17. Print.
Tarrow, Sidney. “Transnational Politics: Contention and Institutions in International Politics.” Annual Review of Political Science, 2001.4.
Realism can be described as a theoretical approach used to analyze all international relations as the relation of states engaged in power (Baylis, Owens, Smith, 100). Although realism cannot accommodate non-state actors within its analysis. There are three types of realism which include classical (human
Balaam, David. Introduction to International Political Economy, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Pearson Education, 2005.
Dimitter, Lowell. World Politics. 1st ed. Vol. 55. New York: Johns Hopkins UP, 2002. 38-65.
To conclude, there are four main components of the realist approach to international relations, they are: state which includes egoism as the states are composed by the selfish people, self-help which includes balance of power as power is used to enhance the survival rate, survival which includes hegemony in order to maintain its position and anarchical system which related to lust for power and led to security dilemma.
Whenever world politics is mentioned, the state that appears to be at the apex of affairs is the United States of America, although some will argue that it isn’t. It is paramount we know that the international system is shaped by certain defining events that has lead to some significant changes, particularly those connected with different chapters of violence. Certainly, the world wars of the twentieth century and the more recent war on terror must be included as defining moments. The warning of brute force on a potentially large scale also highlights the vigorousness of the cold war period, which dominated world politics within an interval of four decades. The practice of international relations (IR) was introduced out of a need to discuss the causes of war and the different conditions for calm in the wake of the first world war, and it is relevant we know that this has remained a crucial focus ever since. However, violence is not the only factor capable of causing interruption in the international system. Economic elements also have a remarkable impact. The great depression that happened in the 1920s, and the global financial crises of the contemporary period can be used as examples. Another concurrent problem concerns the environment, with the human climate being one among different number of important concerns for the continuing future of humankind and the planet in general.