End of cold war left the IR theorists in difficulty of explaining its sudden climax. International relations theories with their tools of coercion and material perspective are unable to explain it. Alexander Wendt uses the idea of 'Constructivism' to explain the events with the help of empirical research. Writer says that it was used to believe that power and interest use to manage international politics, but certain events in past led theorists believe in more empirical explanation and this leads to writer's idea of constructivism. Writer's main focus is not on how social structures and institutions directly effects a person or state's stances about events in international politics rather his emphasis is on how these social structures and systems imparts certain attributes to the individuals on national level.
This theory deals with people's modes of learning through social institutions and their experiences. Writer based his theory on structure of human society or social structures and how these structures help in constructing a society. Society effects individuals in a number of ways and these individuals retain these traits in there personality while dealing on international platform. So, this theory establish a social system with certain tenets which determines the foreign policy of the state leaving no room for individualistic and material perspectives. Let us clarify the difference between individualism of state used by other IR theorists and the one used by Wendt. Although individualism in constructivism also refers a state's rationality and interests but difference being the origin of that individualism which writer's believes lie in the social institutes.
I will try to explain the writer's proposition according to my understandings by citing some examples. Iran being an ideological state will try expand its ideology beyond its borders and same is the case with Wahhabi Saudi Arabia. The social institutions and structure in Iran if promote this ideology, then the agents emerging from that society controlling state matters in international politics obviously posses those attributes and thus explaining Iran's ideologically strict behavior.
This theory deals with people's modes of learning through social institutions and their experiences. Writer based his theory on structure of human society or social structures and how these structures help in constructing a society. Society effects individuals in a number of ways and these individuals retain these traits in there personality while dealing on international platform. So, this theory establish a social system with certain tenets which determines the foreign policy of the state leaving no room for individualistic and material perspectives. Let us clarify the difference between individualism of state used by other IR theorists and the one used by Wendt. Although individualism in constructivism also refers a state's rationality and interests but difference being the origin of that individualism which writer's believes lie in the social institutes.
I will try to explain the writer's proposition according to my understandings by citing some examples. Iran being an ideological state will try expand its ideology beyond its borders and same is the case with Wahhabi Saudi Arabia. The social institutions and structure in Iran if promote this ideology, then the agents emerging from that society controlling state matters in international politics obviously posses those attributes and thus explaining Iran's ideologically strict behavior.
Solid piece, but I would have preferred more analysis. It would have been great if your piece was more like your last paragraph, or if you had expanded more on your points there.
ReplyDeleteI intended to explain the current Yemen conflict in that perspective but was having some doubts if that fits the scene or not.
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