Theories of Global Politics

THEORIES OF
GLOBAL POLITICS
READING:
HEYWOOD (CHAPTER THREE)
Theories
• Theories provide meaning to a problem, incident or event
• Theories provide perspectives and critical views of the world and how
it functions
MAINSTREAM PERSPECTIVES OF
GLOBAL POLITICS
1. REALISM (sometimes referred to as political realism)
• realism states that global politics is about power and self-interest
• Referred to as the power politics model of international relations
• The key themes within realism are:
• State egoism and conflict: global politics is conducted within a state of nature and the
international arena is dangerous and uncertain, states are led by individuals that are
greedy, selfish, competitive and power-hungry
• Statecraft and the national interest: state policy and engagement is shaped by national
interests
• International anarchy: The state-system operates in a context of international anarchy,
so there is no authority higher than the sovereign state. There is no formal central
government or authority globally
• Polarity, stability and the balance of power: Conflict can be contained when power is
balanced internationally and depending on the number of great powers. A multipolar
world leads to instability and a bipolar world results in stability
TWO KEY STRANDS OF REALISM
• Classical realism: explains power politics largely in terms of human
selfishness or egoism.
• Neorealism: A perspective on international politics that highlights the
structural constraints of the international system; sometimes it is
referred to as ‘new’ or structural realism.
• For neorealists, international anarchy results in:
• Self-help: where a state relies on its own capacities and resources, rather than
external support, to survive and be secure
• Security dilemma: where military acquisition by a state for defence reasons is
interpreted as aggressive by other states
• Relative gains: States are all about improving or maintaining their position in
comparison to other states
CRITIQUES OF REALISM
• Realism is no longer dominant
because of:
• The rise in the number of
the non-state actors
• The spread of globalization
• The increase in human
rights related issues
• The rise in new theories like
liberalism and
constructivism
LIBERALISM
• Liberalism has been dominant particularly in the West
• The central theme of liberalism is that even though states compete, this is done in
harmony and balance
• There are three key themes in liberalism:
• Interdependence liberalism: Free trade between states has economic
benefits, as it allows each country to specialize in producing goods giving them
a ‘comparative advantage’. Free trade also makes conflict and war unthinkable
• Republican liberalism: examines how the political and constitutional makeup

of a state determines their behaviour. They promote the ”democratic peace
thesis” which means that democratic countries do not go to war with each
other as democracy guarantees peace
• Liberal institutionalism: international organisations play a major role in

maintaining collective security and the rule of law (the rule of law outlines
how states should behave and conduct themselves)
Critiques of Liberalism
• States still remain the dominant actor in global politics
• Free trade and transnationalism leads to inequality among different
states
• There has been a rise and dominance of anti-liberal views like Islam
and religion
• Read “Focus on Closing the realist–liberal divide?”
- pg.65
Marxism and neo-Marxism
• Is an alternative to realism and liberalism
• Marxists present the idea of ”uneven development” where countries
develop at different rates due to competition and economic exploitation.
• Marxism states that the periphery (less developed countries) are
exploited by the core (developed countries). The core exploits the raw
materials, low wages and weak state regulations found in less developed
countries
• The global capitalist system is therefore unequal
• Dependency theory is a stream of the neo-Marxist theory that focuses on
the imbalances within the global capitalist system where the periphery is
underdeveloped and poor and highly dependent on the core.
• Marxism has been criticized for focusing only on economic themes and
not other important issues like politics, military and diplomacy
CONSTRUCTIVISM
• Developed by Alexander Wendt
• Argues that ”anarchy is what states make of it” meaning that the
state’s behavior is not determined by the structure of the
international system but how they view anarchy
• Anarchy thus creates a space for freedom and opportunity for some
and a dangerous and threatening environment for others
• The focus is on a state’s identity and how they view other states
• As states perceptions change so will their behavior
• It is criticized for failing to recognize that social, economic and
political realities shape state’s beliefs and behaviors
Post-positivist Theory 1: Feminism
• Feminism challenges the exclusion of women and women’s issues from
conventional analysis.
• Normally, approaches to international politics focus mostly on male-
dominated bodies and institutions - governments and states, transnational
corporations (TNCs)
• Argues that realism focuses on masculine ideas about rivalry, competition
and inevitable conflict.
• The role of women in global politics as diplomats’ wives, domestic workers,
is ignored and women are subordinated and exploited in many global
processes
• Feminism exposes bias in global politics and links power to collaboration
and not conflict
Post-positivist Theory 2: Green
Politics
• This theory has emerged due to increasing concerns about the
environment
• Argues that there is a link between human beings and nature.
• Its key theme is sustainable development by linking economic goals to
the environment
• Mainstream green thinkers argue that there needs to be balance
between modernization and economic growth
• Radical green theorists argue for a radical social change
Post-Positivist Theory 3:
Postcolonialism
• focuses on promoting non-western ideas, cultures and traditions
• exposes the cultural dimension of colonial rule which subjugates
former colonized peoples
• This perspective notes that international aid can be viewed as a form
of colonialism.
• The West therefore interferes in the matters of the developing world
• Eurocentrism is a term used to denote western intervention.
• Eurocentrism is referred to as “the application of values and theories
drawn from European culture to other groups and peoples, implying a
biased or distorted viewpoint”.

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THEORIES OF

• Republican liberalism: examines how the political and constitutional makeup

• Liberal institutionalism: international organisations play a major role in

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