(HIN 100504) International Relations Theories - Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki, Steve Smith PDF

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International Relations Theories New to this edition ● Updated chapters and case studies reflect new developments in world politics. ● A new chapter on critical theory expands coverage of a key school of thought. International Relations Theories Discipline and Diversity THIRD EDITION Edited by Tim D...

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International Relations Theories

New to this edition ●

Updated chapters and case studies reflect new developments in world politics.

●

A new chapter on critical theory expands coverage of a key school of thought.

International Relations Theories Discipline and Diversity THIRD EDITION

Edited by

Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki, and Steve Smith

1

1 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, United Kingdom Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries © Oxford University Press 2013 The moral rights of the authors have been asserted First edition published 2007 Second edition published 2010 Impression: 1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by licence or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available ISBN 978-0-19-969601-7 Printed in Italy by L.E.G.O. S.p.A—Lavis TN Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only. Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any third party website referenced in this work.

Preface Welcome to the third edition of International Relations Theories. The responses to the first two editions have been overwhelmingly positive and so we have kept changes to this new edition to a minimum. We cover the same theoretical ground as in the previous edition except for one major change. In light of the fact that there has been some demand for a detailed run-through of the critical theoretical literature, we decided to devote an entire chapter to this important theoretical orientation in the discipline. The new chapter contribution on critical theory is written by Steven C. Roach. All the chapters have been updated to reflect recently published work and the cases have been revisited to include considerations of new developments in world politics.

Rationale for the book Underpinning the ethos of the book are a number of thematics about theory and the nature of the discipline of International Relations (IR). When using this term, we are following the important convention that distinguishes between capital IR denoting the academic study of International Relations, and lower-case international relations which is shorthand for the object of the discipline’s investigations (the actors, interests, institutions, and identities on a global scale). This distinction enables us to examine the sociology of knowledge of IR as a discipline: how and when it became a distinct subject, what kinds of topics get taught, where the subject is studied, what kinds of research get funded. If we were to do away with the distinction, we would end up assuming that there is a direct readacross from the discipline to the interactions that constitute the real world of international relations. What thematics, then, underpin this book? We highlight seven as follows: 1. Theory is the discipline’s centre of gravity. Academic IR is a broad church. It includes a number of very active sub-fields, many of which are motivated by applied agendas. We would argue that the centre of gravity of the field is IR theory (a point made by Ole Wæver in the concluding chapter). It is no coincidence that histories of the discipline tend to map directly onto the major theoretical contestations or debates. 2. Theory helps us to explain the world of international relations. All contributors agree that theory is central to explaining the dynamics of world politics, whether one is interested in regionalism, identity, security, or foreign policy. To put it more graphically, there is no hiding place from theory; there is no alternative but to engage with issues concerning causation, interpretation, judgement, and critique. The introduction and the opening chapter deal at some length with what theory is, how it is interpreted differently, and what is at stake in applying theory to the world.

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PREFACE

3. Theoretical diversity is to be valued. All books on IR theory include a variety of different theoretical positions, particularly the historically dominant traditions of realism, liberalism, and Marxism: latterly, it is commonplace, especially in US-based scholarship, to include constructivism in the mix. We go much further in terms of defending diversity. To these four we have added the English school (resurgent in the last two decades), feminism, critical theory and poststructuralism (powerful critical voices since the 1980s), and two relatively recent theories in the form of postcolonialism and green theory. The order of the chapters proceeds along a continuum, from established at the beginning of the book to the newer theories at the end. This does not mean, however, that we believe the established traditions ought to be discounted for being ‘old’: indeed, the fact that we allocate two chapters to realism and neorealism, and liberalism and neoliberalism, underscores the importance we attach to these two rich theoretical perspectives as well as recognizing the presence of a significant fault-line within each. 4. Theoretical diversity is contested. Related to the above, we are aware of the fact that the positive value we attach to theoretical diversity is not universally shared. Many established scholars think that the core of the discipline—the focus on inter-state dynamics of conflict and cooperation—is being undermined. We disagree. We think more is better, and that theoretical pluralism not only enables old issues to be addressed in new ways, but also opens up new agendas which speak more directly to changing threats and potentialities. As Steve Smith shows in his introduction, inside the thick walls of the academy, this debate has generated a great deal of anxiety. Those committed to a particularly narrow concept of theory as a set of propositions formulated as testable hypotheses have unnecessarily sought to discipline diversity. 5. The limits to theoretical diversity. The book does not have a clear answer to the question whether there are limits to theoretical diversity. On the one hand, the arguments we advance for letting new voices be heard must be extended into the future. Yet on the other, we agree with Ole Wæver that theoretical innovation within existing perspectives is more likely (hence the proliferation of different ‘wings’ within each overarching theory, discussed in the chapters themselves). 6. Choosing between theories. Those who advocate theoretical diversity need to confront the question—often posed by students—how to decide between them. The introduction goes into this issue in some detail. At this stage we remind our readers that each contributor is defending his or her particularly theory. As Milja Kurki and Colin Wight put it in the first chapter, it is important that we remember theorists are ‘selling’ their ideas. They may not always admit to the weaknesses in their own position, which is why it is important for ‘buyers’ to read the alternatives. 7. Diversity and the reinvention of the discipline. The penultimate chapter by Colin Hay differs from the previous fourteen chapters in that it is not ‘selling’ a particular IR theory in the same sense as the others. Instead, the reader will find an analysis of the impact globalization is having on mainstream IR theories such as realism. Rather than concluding that changes in global politics have brought the legitimacy of the entire discipline into question, both Hay in Chapter 15 and Wæver in Chapter 16 recognize that there are powerful structures at work which will ensure the ongoing resilience of International Relations.

PREFACE

How to use the book We anticipate that students will read the book in different ways, and that course tutors will recommend the book for different purposes. With some certainty, we can predict that all IR theory courses will cover some of the ground contained in the volume. It is equally certain that only a few IR theory courses will cover all of the same ground. The book has been compiled in such a way that tutors and students can read chapters as though they are free-standing. However, for those courses that follow more closely the progression established throughout, we anticipate that there will be a pay-off in terms of cumulative learning. We think this is particularly true in the case of the introduction and the two opening chapters which cover contextual issues to do with the relationship between IR theory, and the social sciences, and between IR theory and ethical inquiry. Furthermore, many similar themes are interwoven through various chapters—understanding constructivism is going to help the reader to comprehend what is meant by feminist constructivism in a later chapter. Each chapter has followed the same format, and incorporates many of the learning aids which have proved to be highly successful in companion volumes such as Baylis, Smith, and Owens (eds.), Globalization of World Politics, also published by Oxford University Press and in its fifth edition.

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Acknowledgements We would like to thank Kirsty Reade our editor at Oxford University Press, and our previous editors Ruth Anderson and Nicki Sneath. Throughout the six-year lifespan of the book and its two previous editions they have been extremely positive about the book and their input has been invaluable. We would also like to thank Jodie Hobbs, an editorial assistant with the first edition, and Madeleine Fagan who helped us compile a consolidated bibliography and the glossary for the second edition. Our final debt is to our students. It would be unthinkable to be involved in a project of this kind without the shared experience of talking about theory to excited (and sometimes frustrated) students. In a very particular sense, the three editors directly shared this experience in that Steve taught both Tim and Milja; the former at the University of East Anglia in the late 1980s and the latter at Aberystwyth in the early 2000s. This book will have succeeded if it can stimulate the minds of the next generation to engage critically with the ever-changing discipline of International Relations. Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki, Steve Smith May 2012

Brief Contents Preface

v

Acknowledgements Detailed Contents About the Contributors Guided Tour of Learning Features Guided Tour of the Online Resource Centre Introduction: Diversity and Disciplinarity in International Relations Theory

viii xi xvii xx xxii

1

Steve Smith

1

International Relations and Social Science

14

Milja Kurki and Colin Wight

2

Normative International Relations Theory

36

Toni Erskine

3

Classical Realism

59

Richard Ned Lebow

4

Structural Realism

77

John J. Mearsheimer

5

Liberalism

94

Bruce Russett

6

Neoliberalism

114

Jennifer Sterling-Folker

7

The English School

132

Tim Dunne

8

Marxism

153

Mark Rupert

9

Critical Theory

171

Steven C. Roach

10

Constructivism

187

K. M. Fierke

11

Feminism

205

J. Ann Tickner and Laura Sjoberg

12

Poststructuralism David Campbell

223

x

BRIEF CONTENTS

13

Postcolonialism

247

Siba N. Grovogui

14

Green Theory

266

Robyn Eckersley

15

International Relations Theory and Globalization

287

Colin Hay

16

Still a Discipline After All These Debates?

306

Ole Wæver

Bibliography

329

Glossary

351

Index

359

Detailed Contents Preface

v

Acknowledgements Brief Contents About the Contributors Guided Tour of Learning Features Guided Tour of the Online Resource Centre

Introduction: Diversity and Disciplinarity in International Relations Theory

viii ix xvii xx xxii

1

Steve Smith

All these theories but the bodies keep piling up

4

What do the theories share?

8

Diversity and disciplinarity

9

1

International Relations and Social Science

14

Milja Kurki and Colin Wight

2

Introduction

14

The philosophy of social science in IR: a historical overview

16

Science, the fourth debate and beyond

20

Exploring the key implications of meta-theoretical differences in IR theory

26

Conclusion

32

Questions

33

Further reading

33

Normative International Relations Theory

36

Toni Erskine

Introduction

36

Normative IR theory: defining a distinct field of scholarship

38

Normative IR theory: exploring IR’s implicit ethical assumptions

46

Case study: duties to ‘enemies’ and civilian casualties in Iraq

49

Conclusion

54

Questions

55

xii

DETAILED CONTENTS

3

Further reading

56

Important websites

57

Classical Realism

59

Richard Ned Lebow

4

Introduction

59

Classical realism on order and stability

61

Classical realism and change

67

Classical realism on the nature of theory

71

Case study: classical realist analysis of Iraq

72

Conclusion: the tragic vision

74

Questions

75

Further reading

76

Important website

76

Structural Realism

77

John J. Mearsheimer

5

Introduction

77

Why do states want power?

78

How much power is enough?

80

What causes great power war?

84

Case study: can China rise peacefully?

88

Conclusion

91

Questions

91

Further reading

92

Important websites

93

Liberalism

94

Bruce Russett

Introduction

94

Four big changes in the world

96

The ‘epidemiology’ of international conflict

98

Analysing the global experience of a century

103

Are democracies peaceful in general?

104

A self-perpetuating system?

105

Case study: the European Union

108

Promoting order in anarchy

109

Conclusion: power, hegemony, and liberalism

110

DETAILED CONTENTS

Questions

6

112

Further reading

112

Important websites

113

Neoliberalism

114

Jennifer Sterling-Folker

7

Introduction

114

How did neoliberalism emerge?

115

What are the barriers to international cooperation?

118

How does neoliberalism study international institutions?

120

Case study: the World Trade Organization

126

Conclusion

129

Questions

130

Further reading

131

Important websites

131

The English School

132

Tim Dunne

Introduction

8

132

The interpretive mode of inquiry

135

International society

138

International society: between system and world society

144

Case study: human rights

146

Conclusion

149

Questions

150

Further reading

150

Important websites

151

Marxism

153

Mark Rupert

Introduction

153

Historical materialism and the meaning of dialectical theory

154

Western Marxism and Gramsci’s theory of hegemony

160

Global power and hegemony

162

Case study: from Bush to Obama—US global power as twenty-first-century imperialism?

164

Conclusion

167

Questions

168

xiii

xiv

DETAILED CONTENTS

9

Further reading

168

Important websites

169

Critical Theory

171

Steven C. Roach

10

Introduction

171

The Frankfurt School

172

Critical international relations theory

174

Later phase: universal morality and political economy

175

Empirical challenges and institutional norms

177

Case study: the Arab Spring

180

Critical security studies

182

Conclusion

183

Questions

184

Further reading

184

Important websites

185

Constructivism

187

K. M. Fierke

11

Introduction

187

The social construction of reality

188

Constructivism and rationalism

189

Constructivism as middle ground

193

Consistent constructivism

196

Case study: the War on Terror

199

Conclusion

201

Questions

202

Further reading

203

Important websites

203

Feminism

205

J. Ann Tickner and Laura Sjoberg

Introduction

205

Gender in IR

206

Typology of IR feminist theories

208

Gender, security, and global politics

212

Case study: UN sanctions on Iraq

215

Conclusion

219

Questions

220

DETAILED CONTE...