Great Debates in IR

IR 1.G: Great Debates in IR

1. Idealism vs Realism (1930–40)

Aspect	Idealism	Realism
Core Idea	Possibility of perpetual peace	Anarchy, statism, self-help, survival
Approach	Institutionalism (League of Nations, 14-point principle)	Focus on power politics and national interest
Key Reference	—	E.H. Carr, The Twenty Years' Crisis (1919–1939)
Remark	WWII and failure of League of Nations declared the victory of Realism over Idealism

2. Behaviouralism vs Traditionalism (1950s)

Aspect	Behaviouralism	Traditionalism
Approach	Positivist, scientific study of IR	Historicist, interpretive, philosophical study
Focus	Facts over values, empirical observation, inductive method	Normative, case study method
Theory	Scientific theories must be falsifiable	Understanding meaning and context
Key Scholars	Morton Kaplan (System Approach)	Hedley Bull (English School)
Remark	Methodological debate: “How to study IR?”

3. Inter-Paradigm Debate (1970s–80s)

Aspect	Realism	Liberalism/Institutionalism	Marxism/Structuralism
Focus	Power, relative gain, zero-sum game	Cooperation, absolute gain, efficacy of institutions	Economic structures, inequality, class conflict
Debate	Neo-neo debate: effectiveness of international institutions & regimes
Remark	Attempts to integrate or compare different IR paradigms

4. Rationalism vs Reflectivism (Contemporary)

Aspect	Rationalism	Reflectivism (Post-Positivism)
Epistemology	Positivism, scientific enquiry	Interpretive, subjective understanding
Method	Analytical, empirical validation/falsification	Emphasizes norms, ideas, and values; knowledge-power nexus
Focus	Predictable, measurable patterns	Contextual, ideational, critical perspectives
Examples	Neorealism, Neo-liberalism	Social constructivism, Post-modernism, Feminism, Critical theory
Remark	Positivism vs Post-Positivism debate in IR

💡 Key Notes:
- Great debates show evolution in IR thought, from normative idealism to empirical rationalism and interpretive approaches.
- Some debates are historical (Idealism vs Realism), others methodological (Behaviouralism vs Traditionalism), paradigmatic (Inter-Paradigm), or epistemological (Rationalism vs Reflectivism).