Table of Contents
1 International Relations .......................................................................................................... 3
Science and ways of knowing. ............................................................................................. 3
Theories of the World of Politics. ....................................................................................... 4
Theories of world politics in Globalization ........................................................................ 6
Is globalization a new phase? ............................................................................................. 7
Article- Must international Studies be a Science............................................................... 7
2 Realism ................................................................................................................................... 9
Fundamental ideas ............................................................................................................... 9
Criticisms ............................................................................................................................ 10
Article Yemen- neoclassical realist theory of overbalancing ......................................... 10
3 Liberal Internationalism ...................................................................................................... 12
Common themes of International Liberalism ................................................................. 12
Liberal internationalism in crisis ...................................................................................... 13
Article - Neo-kantanian perspective ................................................................................. 13
4 Constrctivism ........................................................................................................................ 15
Core claims.......................................................................................................................... 15
What does constructivism sasy about the ir theory ........................................................ 15
Norm diffusion .................................................................................................................... 16
Life cycle of norms ........................................................................................................... 16
Securitisation Theory ......................................................................................................... 16
Article - A human rights tragedy: strategic localisation of US foreign policy in
Colombia ............................................................................................................................. 17
5 Marxism................................................................................................................................ 18
Core concepts ...................................................................................................................... 18
Marxism and IR ................................................................................................................. 18
Critiques of IR theory ........................................................................................................ 18
Marxism theories of IR ...................................................................................................... 19
Article - Building a neoliberal Iraq .................................................................................. 19
6 Post Colonialism ................................................................................................................. 21
Colonial orgins of the study of IR ..................................................................................... 21
1
, Core principles of Post colonialism and decolonialism ................................................... 21
Critiques .............................................................................................................................. 22
Eurocentric historical geographies ................................................................................... 22
Grovoguis regimes .............................................................................................................. 22
Shilliams’s deconstruction of international society ......................................................... 23
Article – Regimes of sovereignty ....................................................................................... 23
8 Feminism .............................................................................................................................. 25
Roots of feminist IR scholarship ....................................................................................... 25
Feminist IR theory ............................................................................................................. 25
Feminist perspectives on international concepts ............................................................. 26
Logics of protection ............................................................................................................ 26
Logics of protection and war ............................................................................................ 26
Logics of protection and parrhesiastic resistance ............................................................. 26
Article - “‘How dare she?!’: Parrhesiastic Resistance and the Logics of Protection
of/in International Security” ............................................................................................. 27
9 Gauging democracy: the freedom and fairness of elections .............................................. 28
Current state of democracy ............................................................................................... 28
Populism .............................................................................................................................. 28
Election monitoring ............................................................................................................ 29
Freedom and fairness ......................................................................................................... 29
Article – What makes elections free and fair? ................................................................. 29
Article – Facing up to the democractic recession ............................................................ 30
10 Poststructuralism and religious discourse ........................................................................ 32
Critical theory PS ............................................................................................................... 32
Poststructuralism .............................................................................................................. 32
Critiques of IR .................................................................................................................. 32
Poststructuralism and discourse........................................................................................ 32
Discourse, identity and foreign policy .............................................................................. 33
Religion................................................................................................................................ 33
Religion and religious discourse, why other theories are insufficient .............................. 33
Theoretical overview ........................................................................................................ 33
State making in the Middle East ....................................................................................... 33
Religion & Religious Discourse ....................................................................................... 34
Article – religions as an overlooked element of international relations ........................ 34
2
,1 International Relations
Science and ways of knowing.
Science is seen as the analysis of existing facts by realists, preceded an informed by
the wish-dreams of utopians. Essentially it is analysing factual things from a utopian
perspective with the aim to discover things. “Wish dreams of utopians”, this is what is
unique about the science of political science, because if everyone did desire something
it could happen, and aspirations in political science can happen however they cannot
happen in sciences.
Ontology in a political science sense focuses on what are the things which are most
important to understand. For example, Marxists believe that groupings are the most
important things.
Epistemology in political science is more about what is it that we can know about the
world, what data tells us about the world. Can you asses the value of beliefs?
Detached knowledge is knowing the past and emerged knowledge is knowing how to
engage/make in it.
Epistemic - knowledge claims which don’t try to change the world and are not on any
value basis
Technical - diplomacy, you are not making a claim based on types of values, but it is
knowledge
Aesthetic - you are not trying to change something but there is a basis of values
Normative - you are trying to affect change and is also based on values
International Relations (IR) is rooted in the original idea of avoiding war. Over time, it
also developed as a discipline meant to ensure good colonial governance. The
twentieth century was not only marked by wars but also by the presence and expansion
of empires, and within this historical context, IR emerged as a system that reflects
international hierarchy.
IR can be understood as the study of cross-boundary encounters with difference —
where “difference” can refer to migrant groups or any communities seen as other. It
examines the relationships between different types of self and different types of other,
as well as the ways in which boundaries are either subverted or maintained. These
boundaries are shaped and reshaped through various transactions such as wars,
treaties, or migration.
3
, Utopians approach IR by first imagining how they want the world to be, creating
abstract theories, and then trying to push reality toward those theories. In
contrast, realists develop their theories by observing how states actually behave in the
real world.
In this way, international relations involves a critical analysis of real international
problems, which are often preceded by aspirations and ideals. For utopians, theory
serves as a norm something political practice should follow. For realists, theory serves
as a codification a description of how political practice already works.
Theories of the World of Politics.
The first theory is ‘Realism’, where human beings are at best selfish and domineering.
For realists the main actors are the most powerful states, they have sovereignty
meaning that there is no actor above the state who can compel it to act. Other actors
like corporations and IO need to act within a framework of inter-state relations. Politics
for realists is a struggle for power where each state tries to maximise national interests,
through diplomacy, and in order to create order a balance of power is created where
states act as to prevent domination. The most important tool is military force, which is
called the self-help system in which states will rely on their military resources to
achieve their ends as there is no sovereign body above the state. Neorealism arose
after the cold war, and it stresses the importance of the structure of international
systems in affecting the behaviour of states. During the cold war we had a phase of
unipolarity which gave rise to certain rules of behaviour, now we are moving towards
multipolarity which involves different rules.
The second is ‘Liberal Internationalism’ were human beings and societies can be
improved through capitalism as it is the best wat of organizing the economy. A
representative democracy is necessary for liberal improvement, and they reject the
notion that war is a natural condition in the world of politics. Liberalists see the state as
an actor made up of individuals and their collective societal preferences and interests.
The central actors in politics are individuals, corporations, transnational actors and
IO’s. For them there is no concept of national interest as it represents the societal view
of the dominating organisations. When it comes to state communication liberalists see
cooperation with the key issue of devising international institutions in which economic
and political cooperation can be achieved. The interdependence between states is
critically important whilst sovereignty is not because negotiation occurs with private
and public in which their freedom to act is limited. National interests are more than
solely military but also environmental and economic. Order in the political world is
given by layers of norms, regimes and rules.
4
1 International Relations .......................................................................................................... 3
Science and ways of knowing. ............................................................................................. 3
Theories of the World of Politics. ....................................................................................... 4
Theories of world politics in Globalization ........................................................................ 6
Is globalization a new phase? ............................................................................................. 7
Article- Must international Studies be a Science............................................................... 7
2 Realism ................................................................................................................................... 9
Fundamental ideas ............................................................................................................... 9
Criticisms ............................................................................................................................ 10
Article Yemen- neoclassical realist theory of overbalancing ......................................... 10
3 Liberal Internationalism ...................................................................................................... 12
Common themes of International Liberalism ................................................................. 12
Liberal internationalism in crisis ...................................................................................... 13
Article - Neo-kantanian perspective ................................................................................. 13
4 Constrctivism ........................................................................................................................ 15
Core claims.......................................................................................................................... 15
What does constructivism sasy about the ir theory ........................................................ 15
Norm diffusion .................................................................................................................... 16
Life cycle of norms ........................................................................................................... 16
Securitisation Theory ......................................................................................................... 16
Article - A human rights tragedy: strategic localisation of US foreign policy in
Colombia ............................................................................................................................. 17
5 Marxism................................................................................................................................ 18
Core concepts ...................................................................................................................... 18
Marxism and IR ................................................................................................................. 18
Critiques of IR theory ........................................................................................................ 18
Marxism theories of IR ...................................................................................................... 19
Article - Building a neoliberal Iraq .................................................................................. 19
6 Post Colonialism ................................................................................................................. 21
Colonial orgins of the study of IR ..................................................................................... 21
1
, Core principles of Post colonialism and decolonialism ................................................... 21
Critiques .............................................................................................................................. 22
Eurocentric historical geographies ................................................................................... 22
Grovoguis regimes .............................................................................................................. 22
Shilliams’s deconstruction of international society ......................................................... 23
Article – Regimes of sovereignty ....................................................................................... 23
8 Feminism .............................................................................................................................. 25
Roots of feminist IR scholarship ....................................................................................... 25
Feminist IR theory ............................................................................................................. 25
Feminist perspectives on international concepts ............................................................. 26
Logics of protection ............................................................................................................ 26
Logics of protection and war ............................................................................................ 26
Logics of protection and parrhesiastic resistance ............................................................. 26
Article - “‘How dare she?!’: Parrhesiastic Resistance and the Logics of Protection
of/in International Security” ............................................................................................. 27
9 Gauging democracy: the freedom and fairness of elections .............................................. 28
Current state of democracy ............................................................................................... 28
Populism .............................................................................................................................. 28
Election monitoring ............................................................................................................ 29
Freedom and fairness ......................................................................................................... 29
Article – What makes elections free and fair? ................................................................. 29
Article – Facing up to the democractic recession ............................................................ 30
10 Poststructuralism and religious discourse ........................................................................ 32
Critical theory PS ............................................................................................................... 32
Poststructuralism .............................................................................................................. 32
Critiques of IR .................................................................................................................. 32
Poststructuralism and discourse........................................................................................ 32
Discourse, identity and foreign policy .............................................................................. 33
Religion................................................................................................................................ 33
Religion and religious discourse, why other theories are insufficient .............................. 33
Theoretical overview ........................................................................................................ 33
State making in the Middle East ....................................................................................... 33
Religion & Religious Discourse ....................................................................................... 34
Article – religions as an overlooked element of international relations ........................ 34
2
,1 International Relations
Science and ways of knowing.
Science is seen as the analysis of existing facts by realists, preceded an informed by
the wish-dreams of utopians. Essentially it is analysing factual things from a utopian
perspective with the aim to discover things. “Wish dreams of utopians”, this is what is
unique about the science of political science, because if everyone did desire something
it could happen, and aspirations in political science can happen however they cannot
happen in sciences.
Ontology in a political science sense focuses on what are the things which are most
important to understand. For example, Marxists believe that groupings are the most
important things.
Epistemology in political science is more about what is it that we can know about the
world, what data tells us about the world. Can you asses the value of beliefs?
Detached knowledge is knowing the past and emerged knowledge is knowing how to
engage/make in it.
Epistemic - knowledge claims which don’t try to change the world and are not on any
value basis
Technical - diplomacy, you are not making a claim based on types of values, but it is
knowledge
Aesthetic - you are not trying to change something but there is a basis of values
Normative - you are trying to affect change and is also based on values
International Relations (IR) is rooted in the original idea of avoiding war. Over time, it
also developed as a discipline meant to ensure good colonial governance. The
twentieth century was not only marked by wars but also by the presence and expansion
of empires, and within this historical context, IR emerged as a system that reflects
international hierarchy.
IR can be understood as the study of cross-boundary encounters with difference —
where “difference” can refer to migrant groups or any communities seen as other. It
examines the relationships between different types of self and different types of other,
as well as the ways in which boundaries are either subverted or maintained. These
boundaries are shaped and reshaped through various transactions such as wars,
treaties, or migration.
3
, Utopians approach IR by first imagining how they want the world to be, creating
abstract theories, and then trying to push reality toward those theories. In
contrast, realists develop their theories by observing how states actually behave in the
real world.
In this way, international relations involves a critical analysis of real international
problems, which are often preceded by aspirations and ideals. For utopians, theory
serves as a norm something political practice should follow. For realists, theory serves
as a codification a description of how political practice already works.
Theories of the World of Politics.
The first theory is ‘Realism’, where human beings are at best selfish and domineering.
For realists the main actors are the most powerful states, they have sovereignty
meaning that there is no actor above the state who can compel it to act. Other actors
like corporations and IO need to act within a framework of inter-state relations. Politics
for realists is a struggle for power where each state tries to maximise national interests,
through diplomacy, and in order to create order a balance of power is created where
states act as to prevent domination. The most important tool is military force, which is
called the self-help system in which states will rely on their military resources to
achieve their ends as there is no sovereign body above the state. Neorealism arose
after the cold war, and it stresses the importance of the structure of international
systems in affecting the behaviour of states. During the cold war we had a phase of
unipolarity which gave rise to certain rules of behaviour, now we are moving towards
multipolarity which involves different rules.
The second is ‘Liberal Internationalism’ were human beings and societies can be
improved through capitalism as it is the best wat of organizing the economy. A
representative democracy is necessary for liberal improvement, and they reject the
notion that war is a natural condition in the world of politics. Liberalists see the state as
an actor made up of individuals and their collective societal preferences and interests.
The central actors in politics are individuals, corporations, transnational actors and
IO’s. For them there is no concept of national interest as it represents the societal view
of the dominating organisations. When it comes to state communication liberalists see
cooperation with the key issue of devising international institutions in which economic
and political cooperation can be achieved. The interdependence between states is
critically important whilst sovereignty is not because negotiation occurs with private
and public in which their freedom to act is limited. National interests are more than
solely military but also environmental and economic. Order in the political world is
given by layers of norms, regimes and rules.
4
