Chapter 2: Theories
of World Politics
Concepts
 Paradigm: Dominant way of
looking at a particular subject;
structured patterns of inquiry and
interpretation
 Theory: Set of hypotheses
postulating relationships between
variables; used to describe, explain,
and predict; must be falsifiable and
stand the test of time
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
2
The Philosophical
Underpinnings of Realism
Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War
(5th Century BC)
“The strong do what they can and the weak suffer
what they must.”
“Of gods we trust and of men we know, it is in their
nature to rule whenever they can.”
“What made war inevitable was the growth of the
Athenian power and the fear that this caused
in Sparta.”
“So far as right and wrong are concerned…there is no
difference between the two…”
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
3
Central Assumptions
of Realism





Anarchy
States as the main actors
States as unitary actors
States as rational actors
“Realpolitik”—states should be
prepared for war in order to
preserve peace
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
4
Realism’s Tenets
(1 of 2)
 People are selfish and ethically flawed and
compete for self-advantage
 People have an instinctive lust for power
 Eradicating this instinct is not possible
 International politics is a “a war of all
against all”
 The prime obligation of the state is
promoting the national interest
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
5
Realism’s Tenets
(2 of 2)
 Anarchical international system requires
states to acquire military power
 Military power is more important than
economics
 Do not trust allies
 Resist international efforts to control state
protection and institute global governance
 Seek flexible alliances to maintain a
balance of power
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
6
Important Concepts for Realism
 Power: The ability to significantly effect
the behavior of another actor
 Self-help: A principle that in anarchy
actors must rely on themselves to promote
or protect their own interests
 Relative Gains: In Realist theory the
comparative change in power or influence
is more important than the absolute
measure of increase/decrease in power
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
7
The Security Dilemma
 Insecurity leads states to
arm, but arms create more
insecurity.
Full 24 min.
Reading 8 min.
8
Game Theory analysis
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
 Defect
 Cooperate
 What are the payoffs?
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
9
The Evolution of
Realist Thought
 World War II
 East–West rivalry of the Cold War
 Structural realism or neorealism
•
•
•
•
Used global level of analysis
Focus on anarchy
Kenneth Waltz
John Mearsheimer
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
10
Variants of Realism
 Balance of Power Theory
 Hegemonic Stability Theory
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
11
Criticism of Realism
 Could not explain increased cooperation
after World War II
 Many of its propositions not easily
testable: criticized by behavioral scientists
 Lacks precision in defining key terms
 Disregards ethical principles
 Focuses on military might at economic
and social expense of states
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
12
Other Criticisms: Defining Power in a
Meaningful Way is Difficult (1 of 2)
What factors make a state powerful? The three
tables above list the top 10 states (including the
EU as a single state) in three different categories
that might be used to assess power.
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
13
Other Criticisms: Defining Power in a
Meaningful Way is Difficult (2 of 2)
The Venn diagram shows
which states are in the top
ten in one, two and three
categories. What does this
kind of analysis show us?
What does it obscure? What
other categories might be
used to assess power? Are
the different categories of
equal importance? All these
questions complicate efforts
to assess the role of power in
international politics.
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
14
Liberalism (AKA: Idealism)
 Holds that reason and ethics can overcome
international anarchy to create a more orderly and
cooperative world
 Optimistic about the prospects of cooperation
 Emphasizes establishing stable democracies as a
way to reduce conflict
 Politics is not seen as zero-sum
 Emphasizes free trade because it helps prevent
disputes from escalating into war
 Stresses the importance of international
institutions
 Also called “idealism”
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
15
Three Strands of Liberal Theory
Variant of
Liberalism
Level of Analysis
Departure from
Realism
Liberal Institutionalism System. Retains basic
assumption of balance
of power theory.
Anarchy does not
necessarily lead to
conflict. Cooperation is
possible.
Complex
Interdependence
Theory
Sub-state, but not
exclusively. Focuses
on individuals, firms,
NGOs, organizations
within governments as
key actors.
States are not the only
important actors. Actors
have diverse interests in
international politics.
Much of IR has little to do
with military security.
Democratic Peace
Theory
State. Focuses on what States are not all
kind of government
essentially the same.
the state has.
Liberal (democratic) states
can solve disputes without
war.
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
The Evolution of
Liberal Thought







World War I
Collective security
International law
Disarmament
Complex interdependence
International regimes
Neoliberalism
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
17
The Limitations
of Liberalism
 Realists argue that institutions actually
exert minimal influence on state behavior.
 The prospects for cooperation are more
likely in issues of low politics than of high
politics.
 Realists also argue that liberals tend to turn
foreign policy into a moral crusade.
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
18
Neorealism
 Accepts much of realism
 States’ behavior determined by
differences in relative power
 All states have same objectives, but
different capacities to realize them
 Distribution of capacities determines
structure of the international system
 Global level of analysis
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
19
Neoliberalism
 Developed by critics of
realism/neorealism
 Focuses on how IGOs and other
nonstate actors promote cooperation
and peace
 Examines how states cooperate with
each other and de-emphasize conflict
 Points to regional integration,
especially the European Union
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
20
Economic Structuralism
 Also known as Marxism
 Focuses on the distribution of wealth
• Motivation in politics
• Source of power
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
21
Assumptions of
Economic Structuralism
 Economic determinism
 Class system
• Bourgeoisie
• Proletariat
 Surplus value
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
22
Constructivism
 Focus on the impact of ideas
 World politics is socially constructed
 Focus on the role of norms as
constitutive, constraining, or enabling
 Power in international relations
revolves around actors’ ability to
persuade others to accept their ideas
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
23
Important
Constructivist Terms
 Interests
 Identities
 Norms
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
24
The Limitations
of Constructivism
 Inability to explain why and how
ideas change over time
 Privileging of structures over agents
in understanding international events
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
25
The Radical Critique
 Socialists focus on class conflict
 Dependency theory: Poverty in the Third
World stemmed from the exploitative
structure of the capitalist world economy
 World-system theory: Views the world
capitalist system as consisting of a core,
periphery and semi-periphery; the core shifts
over time from one area to another
 Radical critiques tend to overemphasize
economic interpretations of international
events
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
26
The Feminist Critique
 Examines the exclusion of women in discussions
about international affairs and the injustice and
unequal treatment of women this prejudice caused
 Explores how gender identity shapes foreign
policy decision making and how gendered
hierarchies reinforced practices that perpetuated
inequalities between men and women
 Feminists differ in the importance they place on
the inherent differences between men and women
 Need to focus on the role of women as a whole,
not just female leaders
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
27
Schools of Thought in
Feminist Theory
 Feminist Empiricism
 Feminist Standpoint Theory
 Feminist Postmodernism
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
28
Questions for
Critical Thinking
(1 of 2)
1. What are the strong and weak aspects of
realism?
2. In the liberal paradigm, how does anarchy
create incentives to cooperate?
3. How does neoliberalism differ from
liberalism?
4. According to Marxist definitions, is your
family part of the bourgeoisie, or of the
proletariat?
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
29
Questions for
Critical Thinking
(2 of 2)
5.
Which theory has the best explanatory and
predictive power regarding the
confrontation between the United States
and Iraq?
6.
Which theory has the best explanatory and
predictive power for world politics in
general?
7.
Does the nature of the international system
change over time?
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
30
Web Links
 Contemporary Philosophy, Critical
Theory, and Postmodern Thought
 Data on the Net
 Feminist Theory Website
 Niccolò Machiavelli
 President Woodrow Wilson’s
Fourteen Points
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning
31