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International Relations Theories Introduction to International Relations Concepts and theories. SAMIH SALAH , M.A International relations , Ph.D. candidate COURSE CONTENTS The Evaluation of the field of International relations. International relations as field of activity. Ancient Greece. The Thirty Years War Followed by the Treaty of Westphalia. Rise of Nationalism. First world war. Idealism and creation of the league of nations. Second world war. AFTER THE MID- EXAM Theoretical traditions Political realism in International relations. Realism and Neo realism. Liberalism Constructivism , the role of Ideas ,Norms, and Identity Introducing Feminism in International Relations Theory International institutions The failure of the league of nations. Post-cold war thinking on International Relations. Huntington’s ‘Clash of Civilizations End of History by Francis Fukuyama REALISM VS LIBERALISM LESSON OUTCOME Understand main Author's of Realism. The limitation of Realism. Key themes of realism. Types of Realism. POWER POLITICS States lives In world of anarchy. Each state pursues it’s own national Interest. States operates in afield of Incomplete Information. Above Internal sphere = anarchy War is undesirable , but natural product. CLASSICAL REALISM -THUCYDIDES Natural order of things between “Strong “ and “Weak” states. Prudence and common sense as distinct Form private morality and principles of justice. War is a natural state , but war should be waged unless victory is guaranteed or complicacy compromises one’s security. BASICALLY, REALISM HAS FOUR MAJOR ASSUMPTIONS Human beings are selfish, interest-maximising creatures; human nature is not positive. International relations are basically and necessarily conflictual and international conflicts are generally resolved by war. National survival and each state’s security are above and beyond all other matters. And, finally, Unlike domestic political life, there cannot be progress in international politics, because there are no superior agencies that regulate the international system. NEOREALISM / STRUCTURAL REALISM Kenneth Waltz is the creator, the major advocate, and the leader of the next and newest stage of Realism which is called Neorealism. The idea of Neorealism is based on Strategic Realism of Schelling. Neorealism has two major branches which can be labelled as Defensive Realism and Offensive Realism. The main difference between the Neorealists and the Classical, Neoclassical, and Strategic Realists is that the Classical Realists think of power, as Morgenthau does, as an end, as a goal to be reached. However, Neorealists see power as a means, as something to use to reach their goal, and their main goal is the survival of the state. Kenneth Waltz tried to explain in his famous books Man, the State, and War (1959) and Theory of International Politics (1979) that human nature and political ethics in order to create a “scientific theory of IR”. His approach is heavily influenced by positivist economic models. Waltz believes that a scientific IR theory will help us understand how states will behave, and the best way to do it is the neorealist systems theory. This theory focuses directly on the international system, its components and their interactions, as well as the continuities and the changes in the system. While classical realism focuses on leaders and their intentions, Neorealism focuses on the system itself. NEOREALISM IS BUILT ON FIVE MAIN ASSUMPTIONS. THESE ASSUMPTIONS ARE: States are rational actors. They generally come up with reliable strategies which maximise their expectations for survival. The main goal of any state is survival. States aim to maintain their territorial integrity and the autonomy of their domestic political system. These two always come before other goals. All states own some offensive military capability. Each state can harm its neighbours to a degree, and surely this capability changes from state to state and in time. A state can never be certain about the intentions of other states. One can never know if a state in the system wants to change, alter, the existing balance of power and hence is a revisionist state or whether they are happy with the current balance of power, hence is a status quo state. Intentions are only in the minds of decision-makers, and even if we can understand a state’s position at present, we cannot be sure of its future position; so, one can never be sure about the intentions of any state at any given time. Great Powers are the main actors in world politics and they operate in an anarchical system. The outcome of any international event and how the world system is shaped are issues directly related to the situation of the Great Powers that exist at any time. The number of and the balance of power between the great powers affect the world system’s construction, the rules and values that are seen as valid in the international system at that time, and how lesser powers manage to act. As a result, the main actors are the great powers as all other states and all other, lesser, actors have to act according to the needs and wishes of the great powers. DEFENSIVE AND OFFENSIVE REALISM Both Schelling’s Strategic Realism and Waltz’s Neorealism were parts of the Cold War political environment. They were aimed at understanding and explaining that unique international system problem. However, after the end of the Cold War, some aspects of these theories seemed not too reliable in explaining the international system. Liberalism Theory Idealism, or Liberalism as it is widely called now emphasizes different features of world politics from non-governmental ties between societies to organized cooperation between states, but the different branches of Liberalism unite in three basic assumptions. The three basic assumptions that Liberalism is based on are: Human nature is positive. International relations can be cooperative instead of conflictual; We should believe in progress in human nature, in the state system and in the international system. THE CLASSICAL LIBERAL PHILOSOPHERS, BEGINNING WITH JOHN LOCKE, SAW GREAT POTENTIAL FOR HUMAN PROGRESS IN THE MODERN CIVIL SOCIETY AND CAPITALIST ECONOMY. LOCKE THOUGHT THAT BOTH THE CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE CAPITALIST ECONOMY MIGHT SUCCEED IN STATES WHERE INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES WERE GUARANTEED. FOR LOCKE, UNLIKE THE REALISTS, A STATE EXISTS ONLY TO IMPROVE THE LIBERTY OF ITS CITIZENS SO THAT THEY COULD LIVE THEIR LIVES AND PURSUE THEIR HAPPINESS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE FROM OTHER PEOPLE. LOCKE CLAIMED THAT MODERNITY MEANT A LIFE WITHOUT AN AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENT, AND WITH MUCH HIGHER MATERIAL WELFARE. FROM LOCKE ON, LIBERALS BEGAN TO THINK THAT STATE IS A CONSTITUTIONAL ENTITY, NOT AN INSTRUMENT FOR POWER. A STATE MUST ESTABLISH AND PROTECT THE RULE OF LAW AND MUST RESPECT ITS CITIZENS’ RIGHTS TO LIFE, LIBERTY, AND PROPERTY. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION The Industrial Revolution, now also known as the First Industrial Revolution, was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Europe and the United States, in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, the increasing use of steam power and water power, the development of machine tools and the rise of the mechanized factory system. The Industrial Revolution also led to an unprecedented rise in the rate of population growth. The Industrial Revolution made Locke’s ideas reach other parts of Europe and North America and in time, the people who we call the Enlightenment Thinkers such as Adam Smith and David Hume became convinced that human rationality and reason were keys to everything. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Utilitarian's led by Jeremy Bentham even developed a way of calculating the best life for the society based on the concept of “the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people in the society.” Bentham also claimed that constitutional states should respect each other and invented the term “international law” and wrote that each state should abide LIBERALISM CATEGORIES Modern Liberalism, that is, Liberalism after World War II, may be divided into these categories: 1) Sociological Liberalism. 2) Interdependence Liberalism. 3) Institutional Liberalism. 4) Republican Liberalism. SOCIOLOGICAL LIBERALISM They believe that the Realists are wrong when they assume IR is a sum of state-to-state relationships. Instead, Sociological Liberals believe that IR is about transnational relations, i.e., relations between people, groups, and organizations belonging to different countries. Relations between people and between NGOs are more cooperative and more supportive of peace than relations between INTERDEPENDENCE LIBERALISM The Interdependence Liberalism is based on the assumption that when two nations depend on each other, peace will rule. Interdependence means mutual dependence. People and governments are affected by the actions of their counterparts in other countries, so a higher level of transnational relations means greater interdependence. Also, when Modernization increases, interdependence increases, as well. INSTITUTIONAL LIBERALISM: Institutional Liberalism is based on the idea that international organizations are influential and work for the good of humanity. American President Woodrow Wilson believed that international institutions would change international politics from a “jungle” to a “zoo.” They believe that international organizations are very important, and they can promote
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