International Relations. A self-Study Guide to Theory

 
Neorealism 
Core question 
• Explanation 
of 
recurrent patterns of state action 
and interaction (war and peace) in international 
politics 
Ontological assumptions about 
actors and structure 
•
Anarchy 
•
States as unitary actors/”units” of the system and 
the most important actors in international politics 
•
Actors are “like units” 
•
Rationality assumption 
•
Actors differ with regard to their capabili-
ties/power
•
Actors (“units”) motivated by self-help: survival, 
power 
Assumptions about “agency and 
structure” 
•
Ontological priority of actors/”units” with inter-
ests and capabilities (ontological individualism) 
•
“Structure” is a theoretical concept: it is defined 
in terms of the distribution of actor’s capabilities 
(ontological individualism) 
•
“Management of international affairs” by the 
most powerful actors/”units” 
Type of explanation and notion 
of causality 
•
Explanation through the concept of structure: 
structural realist explanation 
•
Agency-centered and methodological individual-
ist explanation because “structure” is a theoret-
ical concept and is defined as the distribution of 
actors’ capabilities (methodological individualist 
explanation) 
•
Causality: structure (as a concept, defined as the 
distribution of actor’s capabilities as the inde-
pendent variable explains actor’s behavior (de-
pendent variable); 
•
”Systemic constraints” (defined in terms of the 
distribution of actor’s capabilities) causally im-
pose balance-of power politics of actors in the 
international system 
Approach to „levels of analysis“ • System 
level