The realist school of though touches upon human nature and how man is inherently evil and the international arena is essentially a self-help system that comprises of states that want to further their own interests and ambitions.
The liberal school of thought talks about how states are interested in trying to survive, and how institutions play a paramount role in the way that History has panned out.
Both schools bring to the table interesting concepts that to a very large degree do explain exactly how the world is run and how different states make decisions. However one cardinal aspect that both schools dismiss is the important question of what is it that drives politicians and states to do what they do? What is it that motivates and inspires actions that shape the course of History? In his book Social Theory of International Politics, Alexander Wendt introduces us to a concept which is absent from other schools of thought: the importance of ideas.
In conjunction with the concept of ideas dictating history, the concept of human agency is also discussed by Wendt. While reading this very apt description of the importance of the concept of social constructivism, it was natural to think of Hitler and his racial ideology in understanding this school of thought. Hitler was very adamant to eradicate anyone that got in the way and did not fit the classification of the Aryan Race. This included deformed children, Jews, gypsies and homosexuals to name a few. His entire foreign policy was based on the concept of Lebensraum and the attainment of land for his master race. Where in the other schools has it been discussed that it was this ideology alone that molded his foreign policy. He advocated this idea through mass propaganda which was headed by Goebbels, and it was the combination of his shrewdness and Hitlers rhetorical skills that inculcated within people the acceptance of what Hitler was doing- showing the importance of Agency and how only when and how the Fuhr said it was the idea acceptable . The idea of human agency hence adds a level of complexity to international relations, and it is this that is included in social constructivism. Ideas are the foundation for everything and everything is built upon them. Not taking into consideration ideas is like building a house without any direction because it essentially has no purpose.
Ideas play a very important role in the way that states run because without a certain ideology a state is not united. The Hegelian idea of history being driven by ideas stands true and is analogous to Wendts argument. In the domain of the global arena perhaps one thing that perfectly explains one of the most important epochs of human history, the Cold War, can be explained byideas. The Western camp was dominated by the Capitalist ideology and this idea was propagated by politicians for nearly a hundred years. It was the fear of the decline of this idea that actually motivated the country to enter into numerous wars such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The ideological Cold War can be perfectly explained through this school and Wendt's understanding of the ontological and epistomological underpinnings helps put History into perspective
The chapter by Alexander Wendt brings to the fore many important aspects of International Relations that have not been touched upon by scholars such as Waltz and Jervis. He talks about the importance of ideas, about how it is humans and their decision making capabilities that explains international relations and their decisions pertaining to other states, as no one lives in isolation. It was interesting and actually refreshing to move past pugnacious assumptions and actually get down to the root of how the world runs: ideas.
The liberal school of thought talks about how states are interested in trying to survive, and how institutions play a paramount role in the way that History has panned out.
Both schools bring to the table interesting concepts that to a very large degree do explain exactly how the world is run and how different states make decisions. However one cardinal aspect that both schools dismiss is the important question of what is it that drives politicians and states to do what they do? What is it that motivates and inspires actions that shape the course of History? In his book Social Theory of International Politics, Alexander Wendt introduces us to a concept which is absent from other schools of thought: the importance of ideas.
In conjunction with the concept of ideas dictating history, the concept of human agency is also discussed by Wendt. While reading this very apt description of the importance of the concept of social constructivism, it was natural to think of Hitler and his racial ideology in understanding this school of thought. Hitler was very adamant to eradicate anyone that got in the way and did not fit the classification of the Aryan Race. This included deformed children, Jews, gypsies and homosexuals to name a few. His entire foreign policy was based on the concept of Lebensraum and the attainment of land for his master race. Where in the other schools has it been discussed that it was this ideology alone that molded his foreign policy. He advocated this idea through mass propaganda which was headed by Goebbels, and it was the combination of his shrewdness and Hitlers rhetorical skills that inculcated within people the acceptance of what Hitler was doing- showing the importance of Agency and how only when and how the Fuhr said it was the idea acceptable . The idea of human agency hence adds a level of complexity to international relations, and it is this that is included in social constructivism. Ideas are the foundation for everything and everything is built upon them. Not taking into consideration ideas is like building a house without any direction because it essentially has no purpose.
Ideas play a very important role in the way that states run because without a certain ideology a state is not united. The Hegelian idea of history being driven by ideas stands true and is analogous to Wendts argument. In the domain of the global arena perhaps one thing that perfectly explains one of the most important epochs of human history, the Cold War, can be explained byideas. The Western camp was dominated by the Capitalist ideology and this idea was propagated by politicians for nearly a hundred years. It was the fear of the decline of this idea that actually motivated the country to enter into numerous wars such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The ideological Cold War can be perfectly explained through this school and Wendt's understanding of the ontological and epistomological underpinnings helps put History into perspective
The chapter by Alexander Wendt brings to the fore many important aspects of International Relations that have not been touched upon by scholars such as Waltz and Jervis. He talks about the importance of ideas, about how it is humans and their decision making capabilities that explains international relations and their decisions pertaining to other states, as no one lives in isolation. It was interesting and actually refreshing to move past pugnacious assumptions and actually get down to the root of how the world runs: ideas.
Good post and I agree that adding ideas to the fore is critical in understanding IR. And I particularly liked your Cold War example - very apt!
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