Constructivist and Neoclassical Realisms

2020 ◽  
pp. 47-72
Author(s):  
J. Samuel Barkin
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International System ◽  
Neoclassical Realism ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Realist Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Policy Prescription ◽  
Do So

Neoclassical realism is one of the major new developments in realist theory in the past two decades. It is an approach that aspires to bridge the gap between classical realism’s focus on foreign policy and neorealism’s systematism and parsimony. Rather than classical realism’s focus on policy prescription, neoclassical realism looks to explain foreign policy, and to do so by using neorealism’s assumptions about the nature of anarchy and the international system as a starting point. But to the extent that it espouses a neopositivist methodology, as most neoclassical realists do, it fails. This chapter argues that constructivism provides the appropriate set of methodologies for neoclassical realism.

scholarly journals The Rarity of Realpolitik: What Bismarck's Rationality Reveals about International Politics

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Rathbun
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
International System ◽  
German Reunification ◽  
Structural Constraints ◽  
State Behavior ◽  
Realist Theory ◽  
Vital State ◽  
Do So

Realpolitik, the pursuit of vital state interests in a dangerous world that constrains state behavior, is at the heart of realist theory. All realists assume either that states engage in such behavior or, at the very least, are highly incentivized to do so by the structure of the international system. Classical realists remind us, however, that Realpolitik presupposes rational thinking, which should not be taken for granted. Some leaders act more rationally than others because they think more rationally than others. Research in cognitive psychology provides a strong foundation for classical realist claims that Realpolitik requires a commitment to objectivity and deliberation, a particular psychology that few leaders exhibit. A case study of Otto von Bismarck's role in German reunification demonstrates that rationality is the exception, rather than the norm. Even though Prussia was under enormous structural constraints that should have incentivized Realpolitik, the man who would become the Iron Chancellor was isolated because of his foreign policy views. Bismarck consistently disagreed with conservative patrons and allies at home, disagreements that can be reduced largely to his higher degree of rationality.

Neoclassical Realist Analyses of Foreign Policy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiel Foulon
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International System ◽  
System Level ◽  
Neoclassical Realism ◽  
State Behavior ◽  
Unit Level ◽  
Policy Choices ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Domestic Level ◽  
Level Of Analysis

Neoclassical realism offers insights into why particular foreign policy choices are made, and under what systemic conditions unit-level factors are likely to intervene between systemic stimuli and state behavior. Neoclassical realism brings a multilevel framework that combines both systemic incentives and mediating unit-level variables to arrive at conclusions about foreign policy choices in particular cases. It sets the relative distribution of capabilities in the international system as the independent variable and adds mediating variables at the unit level of analysis. Variables at the domestic level of analysis, such as the role of ideology, the foreign policy executive’s perceptions, resource extraction, and domestic institutions, add explanatory power to system-level approaches. Neoclassical realism accounts for state behavior in a way that a more parsimonious systems-level theory is unable to achieve. But this rich theoretical framework also faces controversies and criticisms: Is neoclassical realism distinct from other theories and what is its added value? Neoclassical realism overlaps only to a small extent with alternative theoretical approaches. The domestic level of analysis dominates Foreign Policy Analysis (a subfield of International Relations). Unit-level variables suffice to explain state behavior in bottom-up approaches, and opening the structure of the international system for fundamental rethinking is central to constructivism. Neither explains the system-level conditions under which unit-level variables mediate between systemic stimuli and foreign policy. Neoclassical realism analyzes and explains a given foreign policy that more parsimonious or alternative theoretical approaches cannot.

Contesting the “Corrupt Elites,” Creating the “Pure People,” and Renegotiating the Hierarchies of the International Order? Populism and Foreign Policy-Making in Turkey and Hungary

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fulya Hisarlıoğlu ◽  
Lerna K Yanık ◽  
Umut Korkut ◽  
İlke Civelekoğlu
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
International System ◽  
International Order ◽  
Vertical Stratification ◽  
International Level ◽  
Foreign Policies ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Do So

Abstract This article explores the link between populism and hierarchies in international relations by examining the recent foreign policy-making in Turkey and Hungary—two countries run by populist leaders. We argue that when populists bring populism into foreign policy, they do so by contesting the “corrupt elites” of the international order and, simultaneously, attempt to create the “pure people” transnationally. The populists contest the “eliteness” and leadership status of these “elites” and the international order and its institutions, that is, the “establishment,” that these “elites” have come to represent by challenging them both in discourse and in action. The creation of the “pure people” happens by discursively demarcating the “underprivileged” of the international order as a subcategory based on religion and supplementing them with aid, thus mimicking the distributive strategies of populism, this time at the international level. We illustrate that when populist leaders, insert populism into foreign policies of their respective states, through contesting the “corrupt elites” and creating the “pure people,” the built-in vertical stratification mechanisms of populism that stems from the antagonistic binaries inherent to populism provide them with the necessary superiority and inferiority labels allowing them to renegotiate hierarchies in the international system in an attempt to modify the existing ones or to create new ones.

scholarly journals RIPSMAN, Norrin; TALIAFERRO, Jeffrey; LOBELL, Steven. Neoclassical Realist Theory of International Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. 208 p. ISBN: 9780199899234

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro Vicente Costa Silva
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Relations ◽  
International Politics ◽  
International System ◽  
International Relations Theory ◽  
Realist Theory ◽  
Oxford University ◽  
Intervening Variables ◽  
Realist Model ◽  
Oxford University Press

Este trabalho resenha a obra Neoclassical Realist Theory of International Politics, de Norrin Ripsman, Jeffrey Taliaferro e Steven Lobell, publicado em 2016. O intuito dos autores é construir um modelo teórico realista neoclássico, indo além do ideário neorrealista focado apenas em fatores sistêmicos enquanto determinantes da política exterior de um Estado. Assim, alguns fatores domésticos são elencados enquanto variáveis intervenientes capazes de influenciar a resposta de um Estado aos estímulos vindos do sistema internacional.ABSTRACTThis paper aims to review Neoclassical Realist Theory of International Politics, a book written by Norrin Ripsman, Jeffrey Taliaferro e Steven Lobell and published in 2016. The authors goal is to construct a neoclassical realist model, as a further advance in comparison to neorealist appraisal of International Politics, whose claim that systemical restraints and dictates the foreign policy of states. Hence, some domestical factors are placed as intervening variables that can influence a state’s reaction to the stimulus emanated from the international system. Palavras-chave: Realismo, Teoria das Relações Internacionais, análise de política externa.Keywords: Realism, International Relations theory, Foreign policy analysis.Recebido em 13 de Maio de 2018 | Aceito em 22 de Maio de 2018.Received May 13, 2018 | Accepted on May 22, 2018. DOI

scholarly journals Deem uma Chance à Ideologia – Notas Sobre o Poder Negligenciado nas Relações Internacionais | Give Ideology a Chance – Notes on that Neglected Power in International Relations

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. e39513
Author(s):  
Renato T. Borges
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
International System ◽  
Starting Point

As notas que se seguem visam colaborar com as discussões a respeito do conceito de ideologia e do seu papel na formulação de política externa referentes aos estudos da área de Relações Internacionais. O artigo, uma breve introdução sem qualquer objetivo de esgotamento do tema, aponta as relações existentes entre o conceito abordado e o do nacionalismo, assim como afirma a impossibilidade das tentativas de separação das questões ideológicas do exercício do estadista e das ações do Estado no cenário internacional. As considerações finais ressaltam a importância do estudo da ideologia para a área e reservam um comentário do autor acerca do contexto atual da política (externa) brasileira.Palavras-chave: Ideologia; Nacionalismo; Política Externa.ABSTRACT The notes below are an effort to contribute to the discussions in the area of International Relations concerning the concept of ideology and its role in foreign policy-making. This brief introduction does not exhaust the object, but it intends to be a starting point for new studies on the nexus between ideology and nationalism, or even the indivisibility of the former as a variable in the exercise of statesmanship as well as in the behavior of a state in the international system. The final thoughts underline the importance of the study of ideology in IR and expose some comments about the actual context of Brazilian (foreign) policy.Keywords: Ideology; Nationalism; Foreign Policy.Recebido em 17 jan. 2019 | Aceito em 03 set. 2019

scholarly journals Ethnic Diasporas and US Foreign Policy

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Haglund ◽  
Elizabeth Stein
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
American Foreign Policy ◽  
International System ◽  
Us Foreign Policy ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Irish Americans ◽  
The Cold War

The past two decades have witnessed a growing scholarly interest in the role that “ethnic diasporas” play in the formulation of America’s foreign policy. While the connection between these ethnic groupings and the policy process is not anything new in American political life, the systematic study of that connection is of relatively recent vintage. There are two chief reasons for this. First, changes in American demography since the 1970s have led to a fascination with issues related to “multiculturalism” and ethnic “identity”—in the context not only of domestic public policy, but also of foreign policy. In the case of the latter, an outpouring of articles and books has appeared dedicated to the phenomenon of ethnic “lobbying,” construed widely enough so as to include discussions of the “ethnic vote.” In addition, changes in the external environment set in motion by the ending of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union have put a premium upon such new relatively new categories of analysis as “ethnic conflict” and diasporas. Widespread stories about its “decline” to the contrary notwithstanding, America remains the most powerful state in the international system; thus, it offers ethnic diasporas the promise of exerting outsized influence should they be able to make their preferences become Washington’s preferences. This article surveys leading bibliographical sources pertaining to these various themes, embracing as well the normative debates they have engendered. Also included in this article are a set of references to a trio of very significant historical cases of ethnic “politicking” in US foreign policy, for, although the systematized study of the phenomenon may be fairly recent, the phenomenon is nearly as old as American foreign policy itself. Accordingly, three “classical cases” will be discussed: the Irish Americans, the German Americans, and the Anglo-Americans. Finally, the article surveys recent writings on contemporary cases in which ethnic diasporic activism has been said to have influenced the shaping of American foreign policy toward one region in particular (the “greater” Middle East) as well as toward regional dilemmas elsewhere (including Europe, Africa, and Latin America).

A Realist Foreign Policy for the United States

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 803-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Rosato ◽  
John Schuessler
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Great Powers ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Realist Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
Minor Powers

What kind of policy can the United States pursue that ensures its security while minimizing the likelihood of war? We describe and defend a realist theory of foreign policy to guide American decision makers. Briefly, the theory says that if they want to ensure their security, great powers such as the United States should balance against other great powers. They should also take a relaxed view toward developments involving minor powers and, at most, should balance against hostile minor powers that inhabit strategically important regions of the world. We then show that had the great powers followed our theory's prescriptions, some of the most important wars of the past century might have been averted. Specifically, the world wars might not have occurred, and the United States might not have gone to war in either Vietnam or Iraq. In other words, realism as we conceive it offers the prospect of security without war. At the same time, we also argue that if the United States adopts an alternative liberal foreign policy, this is likely to result in more, rather than fewer, wars. We conclude by offering some theoretically-based proposals about how US decision makers should deal with China and Iran.

National Interests and Grand Strategy

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek S. Reveron ◽  
Nikolas K. Gvosdev
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
National Security ◽  
Political System ◽  
International System ◽  
National Interest ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Prosperity ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Starting Point

It is axiomatic that the foreign policy decisions of any country, including those of the United States, should be derived and based upon an understanding of the “national interest.” Yet there is no single, overarching conception of what constitutes the national interest or what should be considered as national interests. We see the idea of the national interest as an important starting point—a concept that enables national security policymakers to articulate what matters to the country and how a nation should set its priorities. National interests are enduring, such as protecting the integrity of the state and promoting economic prosperity. The domestic political system, international system, and organizational interests within the national security bureaucracy also shape national interests.

Worn Themes and New Developments in Quebec and Canadian Politics

Politics ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-174
Author(s):  
William Lawton
Keyword(s):  
Economic Integration ◽  
North American ◽  
Constitutional Reform ◽  
New Developments ◽  
The Past ◽  
Political Landscape ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Canadian Politics ◽  
Federal Politics

Taking the Quebec election of September 1994 as a starting point, this article provides observations on developments in Canadian politics and Quebec-Canada relations. The Quebec election resulted in the transfer of power to a government committed to Quebec's withdrawal from the Canadian federation. This latest manifestation of Quebec nationalism bears similarity with events in the past but the Canadian political landscape has undergone profound changes over the past decade. The article seeks to place the nationalist victory in the contexts of Canada's quest for constitutional reform, the regionalisation of federal politics, and North American economic integration.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document