Political Science
International Relations
This guide helps you get your bearings in International Relations before you start exploring the interactive timeline, framework graph, and concept maps.
Before You Dive In
- IR theory is organized around the "great debates": realism vs. liberalism, then both vs. constructivism — each offers a different lens on why states behave as they do.
- Realism (power and self-interest drive state behavior) is the oldest framework and still the default framework for analyzing conflict and security.
- Start with the Waltz vs. Keohane debate (structural realism vs. neoliberal institutionalism) — it framed the discipline from the 1980s onward.
- Constructivism (Wendt) challenged both by arguing that state interests are socially constructed, not given — "anarchy is what states make of it."
- The field has a strong US-centric bias in its canon; the "English School" and Global South perspectives offer important correctives.
Key Terms to Know
AnarchyThe absence of a world government above sovereign states — the starting condition for most IR theory.
Balance of powerStates form alliances to prevent any single state from achieving dominance.
Security dilemmaWhen one state's defensive measures make other states feel less secure, triggering an arms race.
Liberal institutionalismInternational institutions and cooperation can mitigate the effects of anarchy (Keohane, Nye).
ConstructivismState identities and interests are shaped by shared ideas, norms, and social interaction, not just material power.
Common Confusions
Thinking "realism" in IR means the same as everyday "being realistic" — it's a specific theoretical tradition with contested assumptions.
Assuming liberalism in IR is the same as political liberalism — IR liberalism is about cooperation and institutions, not left-wing politics.
Treating the three frameworks as mutually exclusive — many scholars draw on multiple traditions depending on the question.
Recommended Reading
Theory of International Politics— Kenneth N. Waltz
1979Social Theory of International Politics— Alexander Wendt
1999The Globalization of World Politics— John Baylis, Steve Smith & Patricia Owens
2020How to Use the Interactive View
1
Explore the timeline
Open the interactive view and scan the framework timeline. Which frameworks came first? Which ones overlap? Where are the big transitions?
2
Read the articles
Click into individual frameworks to read what each one claims, where it came from, and how it relates to its neighbors.
3
Check the concept map
See how the key ideas within a framework connect. This is useful for figuring out what to learn first and what depends on what.
4
Test yourself
Take the quiz for any framework you've read about. It's a quick way to find out whether you actually understood the core ideas or just skimmed them.