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After reading our Lessons and the Wilkinson reading (do not use sites like https://www.e-ir.info/), please pick one theory and complete the steps below:
Define the theory in your own words. What are the main ideas? What questions do you have about the theory?
How does the theory view the role of states?
How does the theory view the role of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)?
The theories are tools for understanding the international system, not belief systems. Think of them as pairs of lenses you can put on and take off to try another pair. What is the best way to use the “tool” or “lens” you picked: for understanding things that already happened in the international system, for understanding things that are happening in the world now, or for predicting the future?
Read and respond to your classmates — can you apply a different theory to the event they chose? Discuss.
Remember to define your terms and to support your answer with references to the course materials (the videos) and/or the lesson for this week. Sometimes students attempt to define the theories using personal hunches, but this might lead to an incorrect definition of the theory or usages of a theory from a different field of study.
Solution Preview
The international relations are comprised of numerous theoretical perspectives which strive to promote the goals and interests of actors in this arena (Daddow, 2017). These theories play a vital role in how the international relations’ actors define and perceive power, security details, trade and cooperation with each other. Consequently, they assist in understanding international systems.
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