International Relations, Principal Theories（国际关系主要理论）.pdf

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, PRINCIPAL THEORIES International Relations, Principal Theories Anne-Marie Slaughter TABLE OF CONTENTS A. Introduction 1 B. Realism 2 C. Institutionalism 8 D. Liberalism 14 E. Constructivism 19 F. The English School 24 G. Critical Approaches 26 H. Conclusion 28 A. Introduction 1 The study of international relations takes a wide range of theoretical approaches. Some emerge from within the discipline itself; others have been imported, in whole or in part, from disciplines such as economics or sociology. Indeed, few social scientific theories have not been applied to the study of relations amongst nations. Many theories of international relations are internally and externally contested, and few scholars believe only in one or another. In spite of this diversity, several major schools of thought are discernable, differentiated principally by the variables they emphasize—eg military power, material interests, or ideological beliefs. B. Realism 2 For Realists (sometimes termed ‘structural Realists’ or ‘Neorealists ’, as opposed to the earlier ‘classical Realists’) the international system is defined by anarchy—the absence of a central authority (Waltz). States are sovereign and thus autonomous of each other; no inherent structure or society can emerge or even exist to order relations between them. They are bound only by forcible → coercion or their own → consent. 3 In such an anarchic system, State power is the key—indeed, the only—variable of interest, because only throug