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The Typologies of Realism
Chinese Journal of International Politics, Vol. 1, 2006, 109–134 doi:10.1093/cjip/pol006 The Typologies of Realism Liu Feng* and Zhang Ruizhuang Much more than a single theory, realism is a school of thought containing numerous related branches. In recent years an outpour of debate and exchange within the realist tradition has captured the attention of scholars. Many scholars have attempted to create schemes classifying the different branches and threads of realist thought that have emerged, while others have introduced a wealth of new terminology. Unfortunately, as a result of these Downloaded from efforts, realist concepts have become obfuscated, resulting in much confusion, and ultimately erecting a barrier to intellectual progress in the field. The goal of this article is to help remove this barrier by clarifying the criteria for classifying different approaches to realist thought and presenting a more coherent classification scheme that will enhance the understanding of the http://cjip.oxfordjournals.org/ relationship between various strands of realist thought. The Debate Regarding the Classification of Types of Realism Since the 1980s, a number of new schools of thought, including by guest on May 28, 2014 constructivism, critical theory and post-modernism, have critiqued, and ultimately come to challenge, traditional schools of international relations theory such as realism and liberalism. Yet, as a result of sharp differences with respect to ontology, epistemology and methodology, exchange between these new schools and the more traditional mainstream schools have been quite limited. In stark contrast with this dearth of scholarly exchange across schools of thought, the intellectual debate and exchange of ideas within the realist school have flowered, giving birth to many new branches and sub-branches of realist thought. -
Waltz's Theory of Theory
WALTZ’S THEORY OF THEORY 201 Waltz’s Theory of Theory Ole Wæver Abstract Waltz’s 1979 book, Theory of International Politics, is the most infl uential in the history of the discipline. It worked its effects to a large extent through raising the bar for what counted as theoretical work, in effect reshaping not only realism but rivals like liberalism and refl ectivism. Yet, ironically, there has been little attention paid to Waltz’s very explicit and original arguments about the nature of theory. This article explores and explicates Waltz’s theory of theory. Central attention is paid to his defi nition of theory as ‘a picture, mentally formed’ and to the radical anti-empiricism and anti-positivism of his position. Followers and critics alike have treated Waltzian neorealism as if it was at bottom a formal proposition about cause–effect relations. The extreme case of Waltz being so victorious in the discipline, and yet being so consistently misinterpreted on the question of theory, shows the power of a dominant philosophy of science in US IR, and thus the challenge facing any ambitious theorising. The article suggests a possible movement of fronts away from the ‘fourth debate’ between rationalism and refl ectivism towards one of theory against empiricism. To help this new agenda, the article introduces a key literature from the philosophy of science about the structure of theory, and particularly about the way even natural science uses theory very differently from the way IR’s mainstream thinks it does – and much more like the way Waltz wants his theory to be used. -
Realism and Complex Interdependence
M02_KEOH2919_04_SE_C02.QXD 1/5/11 4:52 PM Page 19 CHAPTER2 Realism and Complex Interdependence One’s assumptions about world politics profoundly affect what one sees and how one constructs theories to explain events. We believe that the assumptions of politi- cal realists, whose theories dominated the postwar period, are often an inadequate basis for analyzing the politics of interdependence. The realist assumptions about world politics can be seen as defining an extreme set of conditions or ideal type. One could also imagine very different conditions. In this chapter, we shall construct another ideal type, the opposite of realism. We call it complex interdependence. After establishing the differences between realism and complex interdependence, we shall argue that complex interdependence sometimes comes closer to reality than does realism. When it does, traditional explanations of change in international regimes become questionable and the search for new explanatory models becomes more urgent. For political realists, international politics, like all other politics, is a struggle for power but, unlike domestic politics, a struggle dominated by organized violence. In the words of the most influential postwar textbook, “All history shows that nations active in international politics are continuously preparing for, actively involved in, or recovering from organized violence in the form of war.”1 Three assumptions are integral to the realist vision. First, states as coherent units are the dominant actors in world politics. This is a double assumption: states are predominant; and they act as coherent units. Second, realists assume that force is a usable and effective instru- ment of policy. Other instruments may also be employed, but using or threatening force is the most effective means of wielding power. -
Developmentalism, Modernity, and Dependency Theory in Latin America
Developmentalism, Modernity, and Dependency Theory in Latin America Ramón Grosfoguel The Latin American dependentistas produced a knowledge that criticized the Eurocentric assumptions of the cepalistas,includingtheorthodoxMarxistandtheNorthAmericanmodern- ization theories. The dependentista school critique of stagism and develop- mentalism was an important intervention that transformed the imaginary of intellectual debates in many parts of the world. However, I will argue that many dependentistas were still caught in the developmentalism, and in some cases even the stagism, that they were trying to overcome. Moreover, although the dependentistas’ critique of stagism was important in denying the “denial of coevalness” that Johannes Fabian (1983) describes as central to Eurocentric constructions of “otherness,” some dependentistas replaced it with new forms of denial of coevalness. The first part of this article dis- cusses developmentalist ideology and what I call “feudalmania” as part of the longue durée of modernity in Latin America. The second part discusses the dependentistas’ developmentalism. The third part is a critical discussion of Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s version of dependency theory. Finally, the fourth part discusses the dependentistas’ concept of culture. Developmentalist Ideology and Feudalmania as Part of the Ideology of Modernity in Latin America There is a tendency to present the post-1945 development debates in Latin America as unprecedented. In order to distinguish continuity from dis- continuity, we must place the 1945–90 development debates in the context of the longue durée of Latin American history. The 1945–90 development Nepantla: Views from South 1:2 Copyright 2000 by Duke University Press 347 348 Nepantla debates in Latin America, although seemingly radical, in fact form part of the longue durée of the geoculture of modernity that has dominated the modern world-system since the French Revolution in the late eighteenth century. -
John J. Mearsheimer: an Offensive Realist Between Geopolitics and Power
John J. Mearsheimer: an offensive realist between geopolitics and power Peter Toft Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Østerfarimagsgade 5, DK 1019 Copenhagen K, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected] With a number of controversial publications behind him and not least his book, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, John J. Mearsheimer has firmly established himself as one of the leading contributors to the realist tradition in the study of international relations since Kenneth Waltz’s Theory of International Politics. Mearsheimer’s main innovation is his theory of ‘offensive realism’ that seeks to re-formulate Kenneth Waltz’s structural realist theory to explain from a struc- tural point of departure the sheer amount of international aggression, which may be hard to reconcile with Waltz’s more defensive realism. In this article, I focus on whether Mearsheimer succeeds in this endeavour. I argue that, despite certain weaknesses, Mearsheimer’s theoretical and empirical work represents an important addition to Waltz’s theory. Mearsheimer’s workis remarkablyclear and consistent and provides compelling answers to why, tragically, aggressive state strategies are a rational answer to life in the international system. Furthermore, Mearsheimer makes important additions to structural alliance theory and offers new important insights into the role of power and geography in world politics. Journal of International Relations and Development (2005) 8, 381–408. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jird.1800065 Keywords: great power politics; international security; John J. Mearsheimer; offensive realism; realism; security studies Introduction Dangerous security competition will inevitably re-emerge in post-Cold War Europe and Asia.1 International institutions cannot produce peace. -
Theories of International Relations* Ole R. Holsti
Theories of International Relations* Ole R. Holsti Universities and professional associations usually are organized in ways that tend to separate scholars in adjoining disciplines and perhaps even to promote stereotypes of each other and their scholarly endeavors. The seemingly natural areas of scholarly convergence between diplomatic historians and political scientists who focus on international relations have been underexploited, but there are also some signs that this may be changing. These include recent essays suggesting ways in which the two disciplines can contribute to each other; a number of prizewinning dissertations, later turned into books, by political scientists that effectively combine political science theories and historical materials; collaborative efforts among scholars in the two disciplines; interdisciplinary journals such as International Security that provide an outlet for historians and political scientists with common interests; and creation of a new section, “International History and Politics,” within the American Political Science Association.1 *The author has greatly benefited from helpful comments on earlier versions of this essay by Peter Feaver, Alexander George, Joseph Grieco, Michael Hogan, Kal Holsti, Bob Keohane, Timothy Lomperis, Roy Melbourne, James Rosenau, and Andrew Scott, and also from reading 1 K. J. Holsti, The Dividing Discipline: Hegemony and Diversity in International Theory (London, 1985). This essay is an effort to contribute further to an exchange of ideas between the two disciplines by describing some of the theories, approaches, and "models" political scientists have used in their research on international relations during recent decades. A brief essay cannot do justice to the entire range of theoretical approaches that may be found in the current literature, but perhaps those described here, when combined with citations of some representative works, will provide diplomatic historians with a useful, if sketchy, map showing some of the more prominent landmarks in a neighboring discipline. -
INRL 5008 Methodology and Theory of International Relations
INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES ST. AUGUSTINE CAMPUS REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations INRL 5008 Methodology and Theory of International Relations Dr. Nand C. Bardouille [email protected] SEMESTER I ACADEMIC YEAR 2020 – 2021 1 INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (IIR) THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, ST. AUGUSTINE Methodology and Theory of International Relations Postgraduate Diploma Course INRL 5008 Dr. Nand C. Bardouille Email: [email protected] Office hours online: Wednesday 5pm–6pm and Thursday 5pm–6pm or by appointment Class times online: Tuesdays 5pm – 8pm (5pm–6:30pm; 6:30pm–7:00pm; 7:00pm–7:45pm) Mode of Delivery This course will be delivered online, leveraging zoom teleconference, online activities and assignments. Description The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the conceptualization, understanding and application of theory in International Relations (IR). The course begins with a brief introduction on the approaches to analysis within the discipline, ontology and epistemology, methodology and so on. This prepares students, firstly, for the discussion note and later the main coursework essay, which invites them to reflect on issues of what constitutes IR and how to ' do' the discipline. Secondly, it gives students the necessary grounding with which to examine, understand and analyse the varied theoretical approaches which are addressed within the course. They include classical theories like idealism and realism. This forms the basis for consideration of mainstream IR theory, having an eye to structural realism, liberalism, neoliberal institutionalism and cosmopolitanism, and the so-called 'neo-neo' debate. -
From Modernism to Messianism: Liberal Developmentalism And
From Modernism to Messianism: Liberal Developmentalism and American Exceptionalism1 Following the Second World War, we encounter again many of the same developmental themes that dominated the theory and practice of imperialism in the nineteenth century. Of course, there are important differences as well. For one thing, the differentiation and institutionalization of the human sciences in the intervening years means that these themes are now articulated and elaborated within specialized academic disciplines. For another, the main field on which developmental theory and practice are deployed is no longer British – or, more broadly, European – imperialism but American neoimperialism. At the close of the War, the United States was not only the major military, economic, and political power left standing; it was also less implicated than European states in colonial domination abroad. The depletion of the colonial powers and the imminent breakup of their empires left it in a singular position to lead the reshaping of the post-War world. And it tried to do so in its own image and likeness: America saw itself as the exemplar and apostle of a fully developed modernity.2 In this it was, in some ways, only reproducing the self-understanding and self- regard of the classical imperial powers of the modern period. But in other ways America’s civilizing mission was marked by the exceptionalism of its political history and culture, which was famously analyzed by Louis Hartz fifty years ago.3 Picking up on Alexis de Tocqueville’s observation that Americans were “born equal,” Hartz elaborated upon the uniqueness of the American political experience. -
Realism and the Common Security And
JCMS 2011 Volume 49. Number 1. pp. 23–42 Realism and the Common Security and Defence Policy*jcms_2127 23..42 STEN RYNNING University of Southern Denmark Abstract The European Union has ventured into the business of power politics with its common security and defence policy (CSDP). Realism can explain both why the EU is being pulled into this business and why it is failing to be powerful. Although realism has much to offer, it is not the dominant approach to the study of the EU and its foreign affairs because the EU is commonly perceived as capable of transcending power politics as we used to know it. The first purpose of this article is therefore to question the stereotyping of realism as a framework that only applies to great power confrontations. The second is to introduce the complexity of realist thought because realism is a house divided. The analysis first examines structural realism, then the classical realist tradition. The third and final purpose of the article is to evaluate the contributions these approaches can make to the study of the CSDP. The most pow- erful realist interpretation of the CSDP is found to be the classical one, according to which the CSDP is partly a response to international power trends but notably also the institutionalization of the weakness of European nation-states. The article defines this perspective in relation to contending realist and constructivist perspectives. It high- lights classical realism as a dynamic framework of interpretation that does not provide an image of a CSDP end-state, but rather a framework for understanding an evolving reality and for speaking truth to power. -
Module Detail Subject Name Political Science Paper Name International
Module Detail Subject Name Political Science Paper Name International Relations Theory and Politics Module Name/Title Dependency Theory Pre-requisites Significance of dependency theory in International Objectives Politics Understanding of Dependency theory in comparative analysis of developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America Assessment of the contributions of dependency theory in the field of IR Critical assessment of dependency theory in context of IR • Dependency Keywords • Dependere • New Dependency • Dependencia • Economic Commission of Latin America (ECLA) • Core • Periphery • Peripheral Capitalism • Poles of Development • Growth Pole Structure of Module / Syllabus of a module (Define Topic / Sub-topic of module) Role Name Affiliation Principal Investigator Prof. Ashutosh Kumar Professor Department of Political Science Panjab University Chandigarh. Prof. Shibashis Chatterjee Department of Paper Coordinator International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. School of International Studiess, Dr. Jayati Srivastava JNU, New Delhi Content Writer/Author (CW) Prof. Gautam Kumar Basu Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Content Reviewer (CR) Late Prof. Sekhar Ghosh Ex-Professor of the Dept. of Political Science, Burdwan University, West Bengal. Prof. Shibashis Chatterjee Language Editor (LE) Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Dependency Theory Gautam Kumar Basu Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata – 700032. Dependency theory is popularly used in comparative analysis of developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Although its origin can be traced back immediately after the end of the World War II, the theory becomes very popular in Latin America during the 1960s and later finds huge support among several scholars in Asia and Africa. Both radical and liberal scholars have assimilated dependency theory into their interpretations of development and underdevelopment, with considerable challenges and counterchallenges to one another. -
Power, Interdependence, and Nonstate Actors in World Politics Is Published by Princeton University Press and Copyrighted, © 2009, by Princeton University Press
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Edited by Helen V. Milner & Andrew Moravcsik: Power, Interdependence, and Nonstate Actors in World Politics is published by Princeton University Press and copyrighted, © 2009, by Princeton University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher, except for reading and browsing via the World Wide Web. Users are not permitted to mount this file on any network servers. Follow links Class Use and other Permissions. For more information, send email to: [email protected] CHAPTER 1 Power, Interdependence, and Nonstate Actors in World Politics RESEARCH FRONTIERS Helen V. Milner IN THE MID-1970S a new paradigm emerged in international relations. While many of the ideas in this new paradigm had been discussed previ ously, Keohane and Nye put these pieces together in a new and fruitful way to erect a competitor to realism and its later formulation, neoreal ism.1 First elaborated in Power and Interdependence, this paradigm is now usually referred to as neoliberal institutionalism. In the thirty years since Power and Interdependence, this new paradigm has developed substan tially and has become the main alternative to realism for understanding international relations. Keohane’s seminal work, After Hegemony, which is a centerstone of the neoliberal paradigm, provided the most compelling theoretical justification for the existence and role of international institu tions in world politics.2 Since then the progress of the neoliberal para digm can be plainly seen in a number of key works, such as Legalization and World Politics, The Rational Design of International Institutions, and Delegation and Agency in International Organizations.3 Each of these projects, and many others, takes the key ideas of the neoliberal in stitutionalist paradigm and pushes them forward into new areas of re search. -
Economic Interdependence and Strategic Interest: China, India, and the United States in the New Global Order
Economic Interdependence and Strategic Interest: China, India, and the United States in the New Global Order John Echeverri-Gent, April Herlevi, and Kim Ganczak Department of Politics P.O. Box 400787 University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA 22904-4787 Corresponding Author Email: [email protected] Phone: (434)924-3968 Fax: (434)924-3359 Economic Interdependence and Strategic Interest: China, India, and the United States in the New Global Order1 “If the last century was the age of alliances, this is an era of inter-dependence.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Address at Tsinghua University, Beijing May 15, 2015 International political economy and strategic studies are usually analyzed by distinct scholarly communities. Thus, the consequences of the changing global economy for the pursuit of strategic interests has not been adequately analyzed. This paper calls for a new approach to analyzing the relationship between global markets and the pursuit of strategic interests by rigorously documenting changes in the global economy and employing insights from social network theory. We then elaborate on the implications of these changes for relations between China, India, and the United States. Social network theory is a promising methodology for describing these issues because it introduces concepts such as centrality and density that better measure changes in the global economy. Concepts of indirect dependence and interaction among networked actors offer novel insights that illuminate the complexity and contingency of strategic interests in the contemporary global setting. The development of global markets has made the world more economically interdependent. Our paper shows how this change is not only a matter of increased interdependence but involves qualitative change.