Internationalb Theory
International Relations : Important Theories a) Realism/ Realist b) Liberalism/ Liberals c) Marxism
Realism makes four basic assumptions about international relations: * The state is the most important actor in international relations. This means that national governments are the most important player in the game of international politics--interest groups like Amnesty International or individual figures like the pope have no effect on how nations relate to one another. * The state is a unitary and rational actor. Unitary means that "the state speaks with one voice;" although members of a nation may have many different views on the best approach to a situation, only one approach will be enacted. Rational means that the state is capable of "identifying goals and preferences and determining their relative importance." * International relations are essential conflictual because of anarchy. In this case, anarchy does not mean chaos--instead it refers to the absence of a higher authority to prevent aggression or arbitrate disputes. Just as men might run amok and attack one another without the government to punish them, nations will attack one another so long as they believe it in their best interest. Anarchy also compels states to arm themseves in order to feel secure. The stockpiling of arms and the building of a military, however, are provocative actions which prompt neighbouring states to feel insecure and build up their own weapons. * Security and strategic issues, known as high politics, dominate the international agenda. This means that states' paramount goal is to maximize their power in the international community, and that they are primarily concerned with military power. An example of a nation operating according to this maxim is North Korea in the early 90s--the downfall of the Soviet Union left them without Communist allies, so they began a nuclear weapons development program and threw out UN observers. They believed that if
Realism makes four basic assumptions about international relations: * The state is the most important actor in international relations. This means that national governments are the most important player in the game of international politics--interest groups like Amnesty International or individual figures like the pope have no effect on how nations relate to one another. * The state is a unitary and rational actor. Unitary means that "the state speaks with one voice;" although members of a nation may have many different views on the best approach to a situation, only one approach will be enacted. Rational means that the state is capable of "identifying goals and preferences and determining their relative importance." * International relations are essential conflictual because of anarchy. In this case, anarchy does not mean chaos--instead it refers to the absence of a higher authority to prevent aggression or arbitrate disputes. Just as men might run amok and attack one another without the government to punish them, nations will attack one another so long as they believe it in their best interest. Anarchy also compels states to arm themseves in order to feel secure. The stockpiling of arms and the building of a military, however, are provocative actions which prompt neighbouring states to feel insecure and build up their own weapons. * Security and strategic issues, known as high politics, dominate the international agenda. This means that states' paramount goal is to maximize their power in the international community, and that they are primarily concerned with military power. An example of a nation operating according to this maxim is North Korea in the early 90s--the downfall of the Soviet Union left them without Communist allies, so they began a nuclear weapons development program and threw out UN observers. They believed that if