1. International Relations Theory and the Middle East

English School ◽

Alternative Perspective ◽

The Many ◽

High Degree ◽

This chapter discusses the different theories and approaches that characterize the study of international relations. Mainstream theories focus on the ways that states interact with one another in circumstances where no overarching authority governs their behavior — in other words, under conditions of anarchy. These theories include structural realism, neoliberal institutionalism, and the scholarship on relational contracting. An important alternative perspective — the English School — argues that, even under anarchic conditions, there is a high degree of orderliness in world affairs. Meanwhile, proponents of constructivism assert that states take shape in specific historical contexts, and that the conditions under which states coalesce and become socialized to one another play a crucial role in determining how they conceive of themselves and formulate their basic interests. Scholars of the Middle East have so far addressed only a fraction of the many theoretical debates and controversies that energize the field of international relations.

1. International Relations Theory and the Middle East

International Relations of the Middle East ◽

10.1093/hepl/9780198708742.003.0002 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Fred H. Lawson

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

International Relations ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Middle Eastern ◽

Structural Realism ◽

Historical Sociology ◽

World Politics ◽

Power Cycle Theory ◽

This chapter examines the different theories and approaches that characterize the study of international relations, along with their application to the Middle East. International relations theory takes many forms and presents a variety of challenges that can be addressed using Middle Eastern cases. The field of international relations is dominated by structural realist theory. The chapter considers the assumptions of structural realism, neoliberal institutionalism, the English School, historical sociology, international society, constructivism, and relational contracting, along with post-structuralism and post-modernism. It also discusses political culture and statistical studies of world politics. In particular, it analyses some key findings from quantitative research in international relations. The chapter concludes with an assessment of power transition theory and power cycle theory, along with conceptual contributions from regional specialists.

Introduction: Diversity and Disciplinarity in International Relations Theory

International Relations Theories ◽

10.1093/hepl/9780198814443.003.0018 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Steve Smith

Keyword(s):

Critical Theory ◽

Social Science ◽

International Relations ◽

Structural Realism ◽

Normative Theory ◽

English School ◽

International Theory ◽

The World

This text argues that theory is central to explaining International Relations (IR) and that the discipline of IR is much more relevant to the world of international relations than it has been at any point in its history. Some chapters cover distinct IR theories ranging from realism/structural realism to liberalism/neoliberalism, the English school, constructivism, Marxism, critical theory, feminism, poststructuralism, green theory, and postcolonialism. Oher chapters explore International Relations theory and its relationship to social science, normative theory, globalization, and the discipline’s identity. This introduction explains why this edition has chosen to cover these theories, reflects on international theory and its relationship to the world, and considers the kind of assumptions about theory that underlie each of the approaches.

It takes all types: social psychology, trust, and the international relations paradigm in our minds

International Theory ◽

10.1017/s1752971909990121 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 345-380 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Brian C. Rathbun

Keyword(s):

Social Psychology ◽

International Relations ◽

Structural Realism ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

World Politics ◽

Levels Of Analysis ◽

Different Types ◽

Multiple Levels ◽

The insights of social psychology are not thoroughly integrated into international relations theory, yet social psychology has much to offer. Social psychology provides a conceptualization of a number of varieties of trust – moralistic, strategic, and generalized – and their opposites that implicitly drive the logic of major works of international relations. It also reveals the empirical presence of a number of different types of trusters who make different assumptions about the trustworthiness of others and consequently show markedly different propensities towards cooperation. The rough correspondence between these different ‘social orientations’ and the logics of the three approaches of structural realism, neoliberal institutionalism, and constructivism suggest that individuals carry a crude paradigm in their minds. Metatheoretically, the implication for international relations theory is that scholars capture a part but not the totality of world politics, the behavior of those who trust (or do not trust) in a particular way that matches the logic of their paradigms. Theoretically it suggests a research agenda at multiple levels of analysis, utilizing all of the types of trust and trusters. I review the work of others that offers some preliminary evidence for its plausibility, suggest some hypotheses of my own, and address potential theoretical objections.

Absolute and Relative Gains in International Relations Theory

American Political Science Review ◽

10.2307/1963947 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 85 (4) ◽

pp. 1303-1320 ◽

Cited By ~ 162

Author(s):

Robert Powell

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Simple Game ◽

Structural Realism ◽

Theoretic Model ◽

Special Cases ◽

Game Theoretic ◽

Game Theoretic Model ◽

Relative Gains ◽

The problem of absolute and relative gains divides neoliberal institutionalism and structural realism. The former assumes states focus primarily on their absolute gains and emphasizes the prospects for cooperation. The latter supposes states are largely concerned with relative gains and emphasizes the prospects for conflict. Existing work in international relations theory generally traces the differences between these two theories to different assumptions about states' preferences. Using a simple game-theoretic model, this essay offers a reformulation of the problem of absolute and relative gains that links changes in the states' behavior, the feasibility of cooperation, and especially the states' concern for relative versus absolute gains explicitly to changes in the constraints facing the states. Many of the differences between neoliberal institutionalism and structural realism appear as special cases of the model.

Introduction: Diversity and Disciplinarity in International Relations Theory

International Relations Theories ◽

10.1093/hepl/9780198707561.003.0001 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Steve Smith

Keyword(s):

Critical Theory ◽

Social Science ◽

International Relations ◽

Structural Realism ◽

Normative Theory ◽

English School ◽

International Theory ◽

The World

This text argues that theory is central to explaining International Relations (IR) and that the discipline of IR is much more relevant to the world of international relations than it has been at any point in its history. Some chapters cover distinct IR theories ranging from realism/structural realism to liberalism/neoliberalism, the English school, constructivism, Marxism, critical theory, feminism, poststructuralism, green theory, and postcolonialism. Oher chapters explore International Relations theory and its relationship to social science, normative theory, globalization, and the discipline's identity. This introduction explains why this edition has chosen to cover these theories, reflects on international theory and its relationship to the world, and considers the kind of assumptions about theory that underlie each of the approaches.

Hobbes among International Relations Thinkers

10.1093/oso/9780198817215.003.0007 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

David Boucher

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Political Thought ◽

English School ◽

State Of Nature ◽

International Issues ◽

Civil Condition ◽

The Individual

Among philosophers and historians of political thought Hobbes has little or nothing to say about relations among states. For modern realists and representatives of the English School in contemporary international relations theory, however, caricatures of Hobbes abound. There is a tendency to take him too literally, referring to what is called the unmodified philosophical state of nature, ignoring what he has to say about both the modified state of nature and the historical pre-civil condition. They extrapolate from the predicament of the individual conclusions claimed to be pertinent to international relations, and on the whole find his conclusions unconvincing. It is demonstrated that there is a much more restrained and cautious Hobbes, consistent with his timid nature, in which he gives carefully weighed views on a variety of international issues, recommending moderation consistent with the duties of sovereignty.

International Relations theory and the Middle East

The Middle East in International Relations ◽

10.1017/cbo9780511790829.002 ◽

2005 ◽

pp. 21-40

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

International Relations ◽

International Relations Theory

Introduction

After Lavinia ◽

10.7591/cornell/9781501707575.003.0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

John Watkins

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

New Technologies ◽

International System ◽

English School ◽

Power Struggles ◽

National Sovereignty ◽

Common Interests ◽

Public Theaters

This book examines the role of marriage in the formation, maintenance, and disintegration of a premodern European diplomatic society. The argument develops in dialogue with the so-called English school of international relations theory, with its emphasis on the contemporary international system as a society of states sharing certain values, norms, and common interests rather than as an anarchy driven solely by power struggles. In studying the place of marriage diplomacy in questions of monarchical and national sovereignty, the book draws on interdisciplinary methodologies that have long characterized academic studies of queenship and, more recently, European diplomatic culture. It begins with Virgil, whose epic tells the story of Aeneas's marriage to Lavinia—the paradigmatic interdynastic marriage. It also considers the inseparability of marriage diplomacy from literary production. Finally, it discusses the factors that precipitated the disintegration of marriage diplomacy, including new technologies of print and the large public theaters for promoting diplomatic literacy.

Universals and Particulars in International Relations Theory

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.013.492 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Fiona Robinson ◽

Anupam Pandey

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Relations ◽

English School ◽

Feminist Scholarship ◽

Sovereign State ◽

International Ethics ◽

Local Contexts ◽

Universal Human Rights ◽

The Relationship

One of the most vigorous debates within the discipline of international relations (IR) revolves around the “universal/particular” dichotomy: the tensions between worldviews that emphasize the “whole” as a unified entity or set of ideas—in the case of IR, the “whole” typically refers to the “whole world”—and those that emphasize constituent “parts”, and the differences among them. Discussions regarding universalism and particularism have involved the traditions of realism, liberalism, and the English School, as well as critical theory, poststructuralism, and postcolonialism. Furthermore, the opposition between universalism and particularism has often taken the form of the analysis of conflict between the sovereign state, on one hand, and universal human rights, on the other. Feminists have been particularly influential in challenging the universal/particular debate in the context of human rights. Their perspectives on human rights are exemplary of feminist scholarship in the field of international ethics more generally. Indeed, feminists are constantly striving to mitigate and overcome the tensions between the universal and the particular through their commitment to relationality. The crucial question that remains is: What should be the relationship between the universal and the particular and how should we conceive of this relationship in a non-antagonistic and constructive manner? The answer lies in conceiving the relationship between the two as a dialectical one. In order to understand the universal, it is important to accept the fact that it is derived from particular local contexts and can only be realized through the culturally specific norms and rules in each context.

Time in International Relations Theory

The Oxford Handbook of Time and Politics ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190862084.013.11 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Andrew R. Hom

Keyword(s):

Critical Theory ◽

International Relations ◽

International Politics ◽

Political Life ◽

Theoretical Development ◽

English School ◽

Power Shifts ◽

It Impacts ◽

Open Time

Temporal phenomena like power shifts, wars, and confounding events characterize international politics. Yet for decades academic international relations (IR) did not consider time worthy of research or reflection. Recently things have changed, especially in critical IR, where scholars developed numerous arguments about time’s political importance. However, none of that work pursued a synoptic account of time in IR theory. This chapter does so, using an ideal typology of closed and open time to understand realism, liberalism, constructivism, English School, feminism, Marxism, and critical theory. In each, tensions between open and closed time distinguish the theory from its competitors but also animate explanatory and normative debates among its proponents. The historically overlooked issue of time—our assumptions about it, visions of it, and claims about how it impacts politics—drives theoretical development across and within IR theories, which we can understand as attempts to time international political life.