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Lecture-3

Theories of International Relations

 A theory is an attempt to explain why and so to provide understanding.

 A theory is not just ‘any’ explanation - a theory comes into being when a series of
ideas come to be held and accepted by a wider community of people.

 A theory is not necessarily factually based – how we understand and provide

explanations arises from our cultural background and how we view the world.

THEORY

Epistemolog
Ontology
y

Ontology: Intuitions, Thoughts, Existance, What?

Epistemology:Scintific proof, Facts, How and Why?

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Theories of International Relations allow us to understand and try to make sense of the world
around us through various lenses, each of which represents a different theoretical perspective.

Most theories of international relations are based on the idea that states always act in
accordance with their national interest, or the interests of that particular state. State interests
often include self-preservation, military security, economic prosperity, and influence over
other states. Sometimes two or more states have the same national interest. For example, two
states might both want to foster peace and economic trade. And states with diametrically
opposing national interests might try to resolve their differences through negotiation or even
war.

Traditional Theories of International Relations

There are two major theoretical concepts of International Relations, that are traditionally
accepted, i.e. Realism and Liberalism.

Realism

According to realism, states work only to increase their own power relative to that of other
states. Realism also claims the following:

 Main actor is state which is rational.

 Human nature is selfish.
 States live in anarchy in absence of any international charge.
 Rational choice- cost and benefit analysis.
 Realistsclaim that survival is the principal goal of every State.
 The world is a harsh and dangerous place. The only certainty in the world is power. A
powerful state will always be able to outdo—and outlast—weaker competitors. The
most important and reliable form of power is military power.
 A state’s primary interest is self-preservation. Therefore, the state must seek power
and must always protect itself
 There is no overarching power that can enforce global rules or punish bad behavior.
 Moral behavior is very risky because it can undermine a state’s ability to protect
itself.
 The international system itself drives states to use military force and to war. Leaders
may be moral, but they must not let moral concerns guide foreign policy.
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 International organizations and law have no power or force; they exist only as long as
states accept them.
 Main theorists are Hobbes, Machiavelli, Morgenthau.

Politicians have practiced realism as long as states have existed. Most scholars and politicians
during the Cold War viewed international relations through a realist lens. Neither the United
States nor the Soviet Union trusted the other, and each sought ally to protect itself and
increase its political and military influence abroad. Realism has also featured prominently in
the administration of George W. Bush.

One of the best-known realist thinkers is the notorious Machiavelli. In his book The Prince
(1513), he advised rulers to use deceit and violence as tools against other states. Moral goals
are so dangerous, he wrote, that to act morally will bring about disaster. He also gave advice
about how to deal with conflicts among neighboring states and how to defend one’s
homeland. Machiavelli’s name has become synonymous with nasty and brutal politics.

Liberalism

Liberalism emphasizes that the broad ties among states have both made it difficult to define
national interest and decreased the usefulness of military power. Liberalism developed in the
1970s as some scholars began arguing that realism was outdated. Increasing globalization, the
rapid rise in communications technology, and the increase in international trade meant that
states could no longer rely on simple power politics to decide matters. Liberal approaches to
international relations are also called theories of complex interdependence. Liberalism claims
the following:

 Humans are peace lovers and pleasure seekers.

 Cooperation causes peace.
 They avoid pain.
 Main theorist is Emmanuel Kant.

Idealism

Idealism is a specific school of liberalism that stresses the need for states to pursue moral
goals and to act ethically in the international arena. Idealists believe that behavior considered
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immoral on an interpersonal level is also immoral in foreign policy. Therefore, idealists argue
that dishonesty, trickery, and violence should be shunned.

Critical theory

Critical theory has challenged the mainstream understanding of IR, and has spurred the
development of alternative forms of analysis and approaches.Since the beginning of the
1980s, different types of critical international relations theory (CIRT) have been the main
alternative to mainstream IR.

 Marxism
 Marxism is unabashedly a revolutionary theory. Karl Marx (1818–83) was a German
intellectual who lived during the height of the industrial revolution in Europe.
 Based on his writings, the term ‘Marxist’ refers to individuals who believe that
society is divided into two classes – the capitalist class of ‘owners’ (the bourgeoisie)
and the working class (the proletariat). The proletariat are at the mercy of the
bourgeoisie, who control their wages and therefore their standard of living.
 Marx hoped for an end to the class society and an overthrow of the bourgeoisie by the
proletariat – whom he sought to inspire towards a communist revolution.
 Communism is a form of ordering society with (in principle) no private ownership, no
rivalling political parties, and no hierarchies – such as class. Instead, an all-powerful
state would ensure that all citizens would share more equal outcomes than they would
in a capitalist society.
 Karl Marx emphasized the importance of economic class struggle as well as conflict
between social classes within society to create change. He also believed that
communism would eventually replace capitalism as an economic system once it had
reached its full development stage.
 Inspired by Marx’s ideas, many states worked towards adopting communism – most
notably the Soviet Union, where the world’s first successful communist revolution
began in 1917.
 As a result, there are only a handful of communist countries left today. Those that do
remain, such as China and Vietnam, are communist in name only and use a hybrid
form of government that allows for capitalism and private ownership while holding on
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to communism’s authoritarian political elements such as a one-party political system

and tight controls over the flow of information.

 Feminism
 Feminist theory falls under the umbrella of critical theory, which in general have the
purpose of destabilizing systems of power and oppression.
 Feminist theory was created in response to patriarchy. Feminist critics view patriarchy
as a social system in which men have a concentration of power, and women
are systematically excluded.Feminist perspectives on international relations seek to
understand existing gender relations – the dominance of masculinities over
femininities – in order to transform how they work at all levels of global social,
economic, and political life. Within International Relations, feminist theorists have
drawn on the experiences of marginalized and oppressed peoples, including women,
in order to challenge and revision the epistemological and ontological foundations of
the field.
 Jacqui True (2012) has demonstrated the links between violence against women in the
private sphere (for example, domestic violence) and the kinds of violence women
experience in public, in an increasingly globalized workplace and in times of war. In
short, nowhere do women share the same economic, political or social rights as men
and everywhere there are prevalent forms of gendered violence, whether this be
domestic violence in the home or sexual violence in conflict.
 In making women visible, feminism has also highlighted women’s absence from
decision-making and institutional structures. For example, in 2015 the World Bank
estimated that globally women made up just 22.9% of national parliaments.
 Feminist research has demonstrated the value in taking women’s experiences and
contributions seriously and used that as a base to demonstrate how IR rests on, and
perpetuates, gendered ideas about who does what, who experiences what – and why –
in global politics. Beyond this there is also recognition that women are important
agents in political, economic and social processes. Despite its designation, feminism
does more than focus on women, or what are considered women’s issues.
 Being concerned with women’s subordination to men, gendered inequality and the
construction of gendered identities, feminism has challenged a homogenous concept
of ‘women’ in IR and exposed gendered logics as powerful organizing frameworks.