Session 10: The Assumption Hazard

Is the sky blue? That is arguably the most common rhetorical question. Most would answer yes, of course it is blue. It is the colour of the sky, no questions asked because everyone agrees to it. For a long time this answer was a given but what happened when one day someone tried to challenge this assumption and actually worked to see if it is actually true?  The real answer is the sky is not actually blue; it appears blue because the blue colour from the light of the Sun (which is actually white) scatters more than any other colour and thus manifests the most.

How is this related to anarchy in international politics? According to Helen Milner, “Anarchy” has been the colour blue for too long. It is an assumption that everyone has agreed on to a point that it is taken for granted now. That is dangerous because it limits the horizon of knowledge, rediscovery and revaluation of concepts. To Milner, anarchy is that dangerous assumption in the field of international politics. To her, it is not acceptable that we just take the concept as a given, it should be and in fact needs to be challenged. As a student of International Politics her assertion about the assumption of anarchy is nothing short of an eye opening revelation. She breaks down the term of anarchy and challenges its existence and its importance, the assumed dichotomy between international and domestic politics and an assessment of the dichotomy itself in a highly systematic manner which makes her argument highly convincing.  

Another assumption she challenges is the notion of more peace due to interdependence. She expertly uses an economic analogy of firms for states (like other political scientists like Waltz) and shows how interdependence is as major a factor within the competitive structure of the international system as is the anarchic state of the structure itself, that can lead to more conflict and competition because of its capacity to dictate the actions of states.

The biggest takeaway from Milner’s piece is that challenging underlying for granted assumptions is not just good but in fact essential for the prosperity of the international political discourse because it encourages further progression rather than stifling it. Milner's work was a breath of fresh air because of how she challenged the very basic assumption of a lot of theoretical work by scholars almost like a rebel challenging the status-quo of a society, demanding change and progression.