Topics Covered:
Classical Approaches
- Realism
- Idealism
The Scientific Revolution
- Behavioralism
- System Approach
Liberalism and Neo-Liberalism
Post-Modernism
- Critical Theory
- Feminism
- Constructivism
 |
| Classical Approaches of IR |
§ Realism
is first and main school of thought in security studies which takes nation
states as primary units in IR.
§ Realism’s
roots can be traced back to ancient Greece and Thucydides (460 BC-395 BC).
§ Realist
holds a state centric view that the state is an autonomous and most important
actor of international politics.
§ States
are rational unitary actors-each moving towards/seek their own national
interest as it guarantees national survival.
§ The
state behaves morally and in accordance with its population’s values.
§ Realism
is most concerned with power, and says power is rational concept and power is a
relative concept.
§ “The
first way to win a state is to be skilled in the art of war” (Machiavelli-Realist)
He also distinguished between morality of individual and morality of state.
§ Realist:
No! Human rights concerns have no place in foreign policy, unless they happen
to coincide with national interest.
§ International
politics is “a war of all against all” (Thomas Hobbes-Realist)
§
“God did not help any nation and that every
nation had to take actions intelligently and pragmatically” (Hans J.
Morgenthau-Realist).
§ Hennery
Kissinger is famous realist.
§ Father
of modern or neorealism is Kenneth Waltz.
§ Neorealist:
International politics and state behavior are structured by “anarchy” and the
roots of international conflict and war are owing to the anarchic international
system.
§
Neorealist: “Powerful states should do more than
less powerful states”.
§
“Anarchy does not imply the presence of chaos
and disorder. It is simply referring to the absence of world government”
(Kenneth Waltz).
§
Neorealist says: Capability is state is
determined by its: natural recourses endowment, demographic, economic,
military, and technology capacity.
§
Idealism opposes the war and advocates
the reforms of international community through dependence upon moral values and
the development of international institutions and international law.
§
Woodrow Willison was an idealist so he created
league of nation.
§
Idealist: what unites mankind is more important
than what divides it.
§
“States internal values and norms should
determine their foreign policy and the pattern of their international
relations” (Woodrow Willison).
§
Military power is not the only form of power.
Exercising economic power has proven more effective than exercising military
power.
§
Prime goal of all politics is improvement of
human condition.
§
Idealist put lot of faith International law and
IGOs to solve problems on International level.
§
Immanuel Kant, Richard Cobden, Rousseau, John
Hobson, Norman Angell, Alfred Zimmer and Hugo Grotius were also Idealist.
 |
| Scientific Approaches to IR |
§
Scientific approach challenges traditional or
classical approach.
§
IR is the wide, broad and separate field of
study it uses scientific methods to solve issues.
§
Such as, use historic facts with current
development to reach conclusion.
§ Behavioralism
proposes that individuals act in patterned ways that can be studied by
empirically testing hypotheses about those patterns.
§
Simply tells, why certain events have taken
place, what is their impact or will be, and why they might occur again.
§
International Politics involve, people; hence it
can be explained by the behavior of people.
§ It
is not a prominent theory of International relations.
§ Its
focus is on quantifiable aspects of international relations.
§
System Approach: focus on the structure
of the international system.
§
International system is made up of units’
“states”, which collectively constitute a system of states.
§
A nation’s behavior influences and in influenced
by the system in which they exist.
§
Each nation acts and reacts in the international
environment and its behavior is characterized by regularities.
 |
| Liberalism and Neo Liberalism |
§ Liberalism:
State enjoys sovereignty and autonomy; it has to operate in cooperation.
§
Deals
with how peace and cooperation is possible?
§
Immanuel Kant answered: 1) states should develop
the organizations and rules to facilitate cooperation 2) peace depends on the
internal character of governments 3) trade promotes the peace because it brings
wealth so government would not disrupt this.
§
There should be balance between interests of
individual and society.
§
States can forgo their short-term individual
interest against long term community interests.
§
Neoliberalism: States fairly achieve
cooperation often because it is in their interest to do so.
§
Even the states are unitary actors rationally
perusing their self interest they cooperate most of the times.
§
Absolute gains through cooperation,
interdependence and globalization unlike neorealism’s relative gains through
power and war.
.jpg "Post-modernism in IR") |
| Post-modernism in IR |
§
Postmodernist: Realism cannot justify
claim; states are central and unitary actors in IR with objective interests.
§
Soviet Union had ignored ‘Unitary state’ concept
as it constituted republics, ethnic group and individuals. Realist surprised,
when soviet split into 15 units.
§
Realist omit women and gender, omit the role of
individuals, domestic politics, economic classes, MNCs and other non-state
actors.
§
States have no tangible reality; they are
‘fictions’
§ Critical
Theory: Developed by small group of German scholars, many of whom were
living in exile in the USA. They were known collectively as ‘the Frankfurt
School’.
§ CIRT
is not a single theory or approach rather a diverse school of thought that
have criticized existing approaches that tried to explain IR.
§
Marxism, Neo-Marxism, Feminism, constructivism these
all are critical theories known as post-positivist against positivist – realism
and liberalism.
§ Feminism:
IR Involves looking at how international politics affects and is affected
by both men and women?
§
Theorist such as realist and others do not
consider IR as gendered in nature.
§
One list of “fifty key thinkers” in IR includes
four women.
§
Survey in 2014 listed the 20 most influential IR
scholars, only three were women.
§
First atomic bombs had male gender “Fat Man” and
“Little Boy”.
§
The success of hydrogen bomb was communicated to
W-DC as “It’s a boy” .
§
Feminists argue: why only male participants are
assumed when discussing foreign policy, sovereignty, and use of force.
§
Majority of heads of state, diplomates, and
soldiers are male.
§
In 1985, UN general assembly constituted by 80%
male and heads were 97% male
§
So, feminism as a critical theorist in IR has
tried to deconstruct language of realism in IR.
§
They have embarked to deal gender imbalance
nature of IR.
§ Constructivism:
Conflict is not in nature of human as realist claim; rather war and
violence are learned behaviors.
§
These behaviors are learned from culture and norms,
social practices and procedures.
§
State interest or national interests are neither
inherent nor unproblematic, actually, domestic factors in response to
international norms and ideas have shaped the state interests and affect the
state behavior.
§ Leading constructivist theorist are: Peter Katzenstein, Friedrich Kratochwil, Nicholas Onuf, and Alexander Wendt.
