Theories of International Relations

🕊️ (1) IDEALISM IN IR

Feature	Description
Core Belief	War is avoidable through moral upliftment & international cooperation.
Historical Context	Post-WWI, interwar period (1919–1939)
Key Focus	Disarmament, League of Nations, International Law
View of Human Nature	Optimistic, humans are rational and moral
Criticism	Too utopian; ignored the reality of power politics

Main Thinkers & Works

Thinker	Contribution	Work
Woodrow Wilson	14 Points, League of Nations	Nobel Peace Prize (1920)
Norman Angell	War is economically irrational	The Great Illusion (1909)
J.A. Hobson	Imperialism causes wars	Imperialism (1902), The Morals of Economic Internationalism

⚔️ (2) REALISM IN IR

Feature	Description
Core Belief	Power politics, survival of the state, inevitable conflict
Historical Context	1930s-40s; reaction to failed Idealism
Key Focus	Power, National Interest, Anarchy
View of Human Nature	Pessimistic – humans are selfish & power-hungry
Criticism	Too cynical; underestimates cooperation

🌑 Types of Realism and Thinkers

(i) Classical Realism

Thinker	Contribution	Work
Thucydides	“Might is Right”, power politics	History of Peloponnesian War
Machiavelli	Lion and Fox metaphor	The Prince
Hobbes	State of nature = Anarchy	Leviathan
E.H. Carr	Realism vs Utopianism dialectic	The Twenty Years’ Crisis
Hans Morgenthau	“Animus Dominandi”, 6 Principles of Political Realism	Politics Among Nations (1948)

(ii) Strategic Realism

Thinker	Concept	Book
Thomas Schelling	Diplomacy = bargaining; strategic use of force	The Strategy of Conflict (1960)

(iii) Structural / Neo-Realism

Thinker	Concept	Book
Kenneth Waltz	Systemic Anarchy, 3 Levels of Analysis	Theory of International Politics (1979)
John Mearsheimer	Offensive Realism; Stability in Bipolarity	The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001)

(iv) Neo-Classical Realism

Thinker	Concept	Book
Fareed Zakaria	Mix of structure + domestic factors	From Wealth to Power (1999)

(v) Offensive vs Defensive Realism

Type	Key Thinkers	Focus
Offensive	Mearsheimer	Maximize power
Defensive	Waltz, Stephen Walt	Maximize security

🌐 (3) LIBERALISM IN IR

Feature	Description
Core Belief	Rationality, cooperation, and progress in international politics
Focus	Institutions, economic ties, democracy, interdependence
View of Human Nature	Optimistic – humans are cooperative, not always power-seeking
Criticism	Ignores deep power dynamics and conflict potential

💡 Types of Liberalism

(i) Sociological Liberalism

Thinker	Concept	Book
Karl Deutsch	Security Community	Political Community and the North Atlantic (1957)
John Burton	Cobweb Model – Interconnected world	World Society (1972)
James Rosenau	Transnational Networks promote peace	The Study of Global Interdependence (1980)

(ii) Interdependence Liberalism

Thinker	Concept	Book
Richard Rosecrance	Trading States avoid war	Action and Reaction in World Politics
David Mitrany	Functionalism – technical cooperation leads to peace	A Working Peace System
Ernst Haas	Spillover Effect, Neo-functionalism	Beyond the Nation-State (1964)

✍️ BONUS: One-Line Comparisons

Theory	Worldview	Actor Focus	System Nature	Human Nature
Idealism	Utopian/Normative	States & Institutions	Reformable	Rational, cooperative
Realism	Cynical/Pragmatic	States	Anarchic	Power-seeking, self-interested
Liberalism	Optimistic/Pluralist	States + NGOs + IOs + Individuals	Complex Interdependence	Rational, capable of cooperation