We are grateful to our esteemed authors for their collaboration in preparing this course textbook for the International Relations Program. As editors of this book, we hope you enjoy reading the book and it guides you in observing international arena and motivates for analytical thinking on international relations. The theoretical approaches and their basic assumptions may sound unfamiliar and abstract at the beginning, However, they will prove to be the alphabet to conceptualize and interpret international phenomena. Though cases in IR and different issue-areas demand different theoretical perspectives and methods of inquiry researchers agree on the need to utilize theoretical frameworks as road maps to explain and foresee the future of events. Lastly, in Chapter 8, the English School of IR which argues to be a via media between realism and liberalism is elaborated. Chapter 7, the normative theory on the other hand deals with “what should be” in IR instead of “what is” observed. Chapter 6 briefly informs the readers on types of international regime theories reflecting different traditions in IR. Chapter 4 introduces economic structuralism via the Marxist theory and Chapter 5 familiarizes the readers with International Political Economy. Chapter 3 provides a close look to liberal tradition and its reflections in IR. Chapter 2 discusses the realist theory of IR and its evolution. Chapter 1 is about contending issues and classification of major theories in the field. In this book, you will make an introduction to realism, liberalism and economic structuralism as major traditions in the field, their historical evolution and some theories they have given birth to. Theories of IR borrow assumptions of each other so to say, and provide feedback for their reconstruction, through the critiques they make against each other. Theories have also grown out of the need to seek regularities and reflect the quest for a grand theory to explain all observed phenomena, which has truly been an overarching and ambitious attempt. A realist description of International relations is based on competition among states as major actors to pursue their interests, whereas a liberal description concentrates more on harmonious relations of pluralist actors. The realist-idealist debate of the 1950s and the methodological debate of the 1960s are just two examples that have evolved in the discipline. These questions paved the way to many ontological and epistemological discussions. IR field began to be recognized as a separate discipline during the period between two world wars and since then debates have continued on “what to study” and “how to study”. First of all, it requires an interdisciplinary and multilevel analysis to explain international phenomena, which may embody conflict, cooperation or both. This is mainly because there are many ways of studying international relations. In the same vein, it is a challenge to understand and explain international relations, owing to different world views and approaches. The objectivity of studying social and political sciences has always been questioned on the ground that personal values may interfere.
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