International Theory

Tracing Hobbes in Realist International Relations Theory

Shubhankar Kashyap • Feb 22 2022 • Essays

Is the classification of Thomas Hobbes as a realist an oversimplification? This essay critiques the adoption of his political thought by classical and neo-realists.

To Reform the World or to Close the System? International Law and World-making

Emil Sondaj Hansen • Feb 20 2022 • Essays

A comparative investigation of two scholarly works on the development of international law in its context of the international system.

Neorealism: Internal Debates and Relevance to Space Militarisation

Joshua James Hudson • Feb 10 2022 • Essays

This essay explores the contention of neorealism with other strands of realist thinking, as well as applies neorealism to explain the continuing space militarisation.

No Peace Without Justice: The Denial of Transitional Justice in Post-2001 Afghanistan

Ariane Luessen • Feb 7 2022 • Essays

The denial of transitional justice in post-9/11 Afghanistan ignored Afghan demands for meaningful truth, justice and reconciliation.

Is War A Social Construction?

Eric Hager • Feb 5 2022 • Essays

It is argued that war is a social construct bound by certain a priori biases that shape the nature of social interactions and interpersonal relations.

North Korea’s Withdrawal from the NPT: Neorealism and Selectorate Theory

Su Bai • Jan 27 2022 • Essays

Both neorealism and the selectorate theory show that North Korea’s demand for nuclear weapons strongly correlates with a large US military presence in East Asia.

The Limits of the Scientific Method in International Relations

Arnaud Sobrero • Jan 27 2022 • Essays

While positivism has brought a sense of rigor and academic framework to study international politics, it obscures some crucial truths.

Prestige Aid: The Case of Turkey

Henok Gebremedhin Teka • Dec 21 2021 • Essays

The study of foreign aid is one of the most contested topics in IR. For Turkey, it is argued that prestige has been the centerpiece of its aid policy since the 1990s.

The Non-Politics of the Responsibility to Protect Through a Securitisation Lens

Thomas Pritchard • Dec 17 2021 • Essays

For Libya, a revised securitisation framework categorises R2P as a pragmatic securitisation act-type, where non-political language justifies military action.

How Far Does Anime Challenge Joseph Nye’s ‘Soft Power’ and Its Approach to Culture?

Solomon Pace-McCarrick • Dec 11 2021 • Essays

Anime provides a lens through which we can rethink Joseph Nye’s state-centered theory of soft power and its cultural assumptions.

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