Major Theories of International Relations: Realism to Constructivism

Realism: Core Principles in International Relations

• This point of view was predominantly used by political leaders before World War I.
• Human nature is inherently flawed and selfish; individuals prioritize their own interests.
• The only significant actor in International Relations (IR) is the state, and its decisions are paramount.
• IR is characterized by competition, not cooperation, often resulting in a zero-sum game.
• States seek to maximize their power, defined as the capacity to influence other states or people.
• National interests are synonymous with *national security*, guaranteeing the state's own survival.
• Politics and morality are fundamentally incompatible.

Key Authors: Morgenthau, Kennan, Kissinger.

Idealism and the Pursuit of Global Peace

• Peace is built through the establishment and strengthening of international institutions.
• Focuses on cooperation, leading to win-win outcomes.
• Supports the Democratic Peace Theory.
• Aims to increase freedom, peace, prosperity, and progress in society.
• Promotes modernization through scientific advances.
• Advocates for international cooperation to achieve peace, welfare, and justice.

Key Authors: Kant, Adam Smith, Locke.

Behavioralism in IR Theory

• Insists that social theory must be constructed based on observable behaviors that provide measurable data for research.
• Incorporates contributions from other scientific disciplines.
• Employs a predominantly *quantitative approach*.
• Acknowledges the appearance of new non-state actors.

Related Work: Arend Lijphart's *Patterns of Democracy*.

Relativism and the Challenge to Objective Truth

• Asserts that there is no absolute truth and no objective science.
• Knowledge is unattainable or unknowable.
• Challenges the ability to discuss opinions objectively, often summarized by the phrase: "Don't criticize me; we speak different languages."

Neoliberalism: Institutions and Cooperation

Neoliberalism is often seen as an inheritor of both globalism and realism.

• Author: Robert Keohane argues that realistic theories must be supplemented by theories emphasizing the importance of international institutions.
• Structures and agents mutually contribute to each other; reality is socially constructed.
• International politics are dominated by power relations.
• Rational actors manage to cooperate even within an anarchic environment.
• The synthesis of Neorealism and Neoliberalism forms the mainstream of IR discipline.

Constructivism: Ideas, Norms, and Social Reality

• Focuses on the ideas, norms, and values of a society that have both explanatory and constitutive effects (e.g., "You're my enemy, so I'm going to attack you").
• Structures and agents mutually constitute each other.
• Represents a rupture with positivism (the belief in objective science), arguing that science, as traditionally defined, does not exist.
• Knowledge depends heavily on cultural and historical circumstances, reinforcing the relativistic view: "Don't criticize me; we speak different languages."

Structuralism (Marxist Theory)

• The economy is fundamental in dividing the world.
• Rich countries exploit underdeveloped countries (often through their governments).
• Multinational corporations control governments and influence decisions regarding foreign policy, including which countries should be invaded.
• The traditional concept of social classes is substituted by the geographical division of the *North* (rich) and the *South* (poor).