Collage of Law and Governance Studies

School of Law

Bachelor of laws

Course: Global Affairs (GITr 1012)

Individual Assignment on

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF MAJOR INTERNATIONAL RELATION THEORIES

Name: Minda Tesga

Submitted to: Instructor Gashaw Ayferam

July, 2021
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Critically analyze the basic assumptions and critiques of major theories of international relations specifically on
the following points: - assumptions of each theory on the nature of anarchy, major causes of international/inter-
state conflict, and the solution they provide for maintaining international peace and order.
Theories of International Relations
International relations theories can help us understand the way the international systems work, as
well as how nations engage with each other and view the world. Varying from liberal, equality-
centric strategies to straightforward realist concepts, international relations theories are often used
by diplomats and international relations experts to dictate the direction that a government may take
in regards to an international political issue or concern.
1. Realism
Realism is a straightforward approach to international relations, stating that all nations are working
to increase their own power, and those countries that manage to horde power most efficiently will
thrive, as they can easily eclipse the achievements of less powerful nations. The theory further
states that a nation’s foremost interest should be self-preservation and that continually gaining
power should always be a social, economic, and political imperative.
2. Liberalism
Also called “liberal internationalism,” liberalism is based on the belief that the current global
system is capable of engendering a peaceful world order. Rather than relying on direct force, such
as military action, liberalism places an emphasis on international cooperation as a means of
furthering each nation’s respective interests.
3. Constructivism
Constructivism rests on the notion that rather than the outright pursuit of material interests, it is a
nation’s belief systems historical, cultural and social that explain its foreign policy efforts and
behavior.
4. Marxism
Karl Marx was a Prussian philosopher and economist whose works posited that societies could
escape the self-destructive nature of capitalist socioeconomic systems by implementing socialist
theory into their policies, both locally and abroad. Marxism, a theory that closely analyzes social
classes, aims to dismantle the capitalist structure of the international system, as it states that
capitalism is no longer practically sustainable in the modern world. Marx believed that private
property should be replaced by cooperative ownership, with the emphasis placed entirely on
satisfying human needs for consumption, rather than creating private profit.
Critiques of the assumptions of international Relation
In much current theorizing, anarchy has once again been declared to be the fundamental
assumption about international politics. Over the last decade, numerous scholars, especially those
in the neo-realist tradition, have posited anarchy as the single most important characteristic
underlying international relations. Critiques of the assumption that international politics is
anarchic are not lacking. John Ruggie has argued against Kenneth Waltz's neo-realist theory of
the anarchic international system, claiming that it cannot explain change and that it must
incorporate other variables such as 'dynamic density' to do this. Richard Ashley has charged that
Waltz's structural model based on anarchy loses sight of politics and of the original insights of the
realists; he has also attacked Waltz's epistemology. For Hayward Alker, the conception of
international politics as anarchy.
Anarchy has been accorded a central role in international politics, especially in recent theoretical
writings. Robert Art and Robert Jervis, for instance, assert that 'anarchy is the fundamental fact of
international relations. For them, any understanding of international politics must flow from an
understanding of this fact. Robert Gilpin defines the fundamental nature of international politics
as 'a recurring struggle for wealth and power among independent actors in a state of anarchy for
Kenneth Waltz, anarchy is the first element of structure in the international system. It is for him
the structural feature from which all other consequences derive. Recent studies of international
cooperation have also started from the assumption that the international system is anarchic.
anarchy is especially relevant to international politics since 'today nations interact without central
authority'. The condition of anarchy provides the baseline for his game-theoretic analysis.
References
Cox, Robert (1981) Social Forces, States and World Orders: Beyond International Relations KHRU´,
Millennium: Journal of International Studies, Vol. 10, No. 2
Dana, Stephen M. (2017). International Relation Theories Journal
Viotti, Paul R. and Kauppi, Mark V. 2009: International Relations Theory: Realism, Pluralism,
Globalism and Beyond, 4th edn. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Zacher, Mark W. and Matthew, Richard A. 1995: Liberal International Theory: Common Threads,
Divergent Strands, in Kegley, Charles W. Jr. (ed.) Controversies in International Relations Theory:
Realism and the Neoliberal Challenge. New York: St Martin’s Press