Understanding Realism in Contemporary International Relations

Jacek Więcławski

doi:10.5771/9783845298757

Summary

This book outlines the evolution of the realist paradigm in the study of international relations. It identifies the challenges that realism has faced together with the fall of the bipolar order and the ‘way ahead’ for realism in international reality since the end of the Cold War. The book indicates different realist responses to contemporary international relations. It reveals a competition between systemic-oriented theories and approaches that accept a variety of unit-level variables. Thus, realism faces a clear dilemma about how deeply to reach into the domestic nuances of foreign policymaking and how much of the previous structural and systemic perspective to retain. Realism’s response to this challenge is neither easy nor obvious and has contributed to further tensions inside the realist camp. Dr. Jacek Więcławski studies theories of international relations. He is an assistant professor at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2019
ISBN-Print: 978-3-8487-5787-9
ISBN-Online: 978-3-8452-9875-7
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Language: English
Pages: 234
Product type: Book Titles

Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis No access Pages 1 - 6
Introduction No access Pages 7 - 20
1. I.1. Hans J. Morgenthau and the Nuances of his Theoretical Considerations No access
2. I.2. Kenneth N. Waltz and the Essence of the Structural Realist Understanding of International Politics No access
3. I.3. Theories of Hegemonic Rivalry and Hegemonic Change in the International System No access
4. I.4. Similarities and Differences in Realist Assumptions. Defining the Core of the Realist Paradigm No access
1. II.1. Realism and the End of the Cold War – in Search of the Realist Theoretical Perspective No access
2. II.2. Realism and the End of the Cold War – Outlining the Realist Explanation No access
3. II.3. The Realist Explanation of the Cold War’s Ending – Criticism and Response No access
4. II.4. Realism and its Experiences from the Cold War’s Ending. The Challenges for the Post-Cold War Period No access
1. III.1. Structural Realism in Post-Cold War International Relations No access
2. III.2. Neoclassical Realism and the Interaction between the Systemic and Domestic Determinants of a State’s Foreign Policy No access
3. III.3. Hegemonic Rivalry Theories and the Post-Cold War International Order No access
Conclusion Considering the Way Forward for Contemporary Realism No access Pages 203 - 220
References No access Pages 221 - 232
Author No access Pages 233 - 234