POLB80H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter wk 3: Kenneth Waltz, Orthodox Marxism, Democratic Peace Theory
Document Summary
We need theories to make sense of the blizzard of info that bombards us daily. Disagreements about policy usually rest on more fundamental disagreements about the basic forces that shape international outcomes. E. g. the current debate regarding how to respond to china"s ascend, nato"s expansion, etc. Not one single approach can capture the complexity of contemporary world politics, which is why we are better off with a diverse array of ideas. Realism was the dominant theoretical tradition throughout the cold war. Depicts international affairs as a struggle for power among self-interested states & is generally pessimistic about the prospects for eliminating conflict & war. It dominated the cold war period bc it provided simple explanations for war, alliances, imperialism, etc. & bc its features were consistent with the us-ussr rivalry. Believe that states (like humans) had an innate desire to dominate others, which led them to fight wars.
