The Long Road to Theory

In ‘The Long Road to Theory’ Hoffman is of the view that international relations as a social science has been lagging behind the other sciences due to unnecessary complexity and lack of cohesiveness in both application and derivation of theories. Interestingly Hoffman is critical of Realism and believes that power cannot be confined to a specific delineation, which happens to be one of the core beliefs of Realism. He also believes that of the three kinds of theory ie. Normative, Policy and Empirical, the latter has been most neglected. This has led to an over reliance on qualitative data which has in turn created problems for the practical application of theories of international relations especially on a global policy making level. There is a need to fuse qualitative research with quantitative methods since the latter is usually not a victim of subjectivity, which often proves to be the failing of the former. Since the field of international relations is growing in both stature and relevance in the increasingly interconnected global sphere it is of paramount importance that practical theories be developed for the current global conditions since some theories of the past may be unable to explain the trends of the present or the future. Instead of completely discarding old theories, a better approach would be to work on them and rectify their shortcomings whether theoretical or empirical.