Session 11: Questioning the Godfather.

Major development has taken place in International Relations theory over the past three decades. Paul W. Schroeder, an American historian who has specialized in international politics and theory of history has raised questions about oldest and most prominent theoretical paradigm; Realism. Schroeder has openly expressed his doubts about the ideas proposed by the 'Godfather of Modern Theory', Kenneth Waltz by stating, 'main fault lies with the neo-realist theory'.

Controversies between neorealism and its critics continue to dominate the International Relations theory debate. The main issue is that the theoretical core of the realist approach has been undermined by the neoclassical realists. There is incoherence and too many contradictions between the views of the traditional realists and the neorealists. E.H. Carr, Hans Morgenthau and Kenneth Waltz have sought to highlight the balancing of power by the 'unsentimental statesmen'.  Many realists now lay their causal claims in opposition to which they initially used to define themselves. Paul Schroeder states that the ideas put forward by Kenneth Waltz were too simplistic and there was no effort to reconcile the resulting contradictions. 

The author disagrees that states will react the same way in every situation as proposed by Kenneth Waltz. According to Schroeder, history does matter but rarely repeats itself. The Balance of Power theory has too many ideological assumptions and thus is not very practical. He has argued that realist 'historical generalizations are asserted as self-evident rather than based on much evidence or inductive...argument'. He points to the example of states reacting against challenge to the balance of power in Europe by Emperor Joseph II in 1785.

All in all, Paul Schroeder disagrees with the neo-realist school of thought because of its inconsistency with the traditional views and reliance on auxiliary assumptions that are unconnected to the core. There are assumptions to predict novel facts. The most dominant school of thought is in trouble because of the questions being raised about neorealism and is therefore, in dire need of reformation.