A brief overview of alexander wendts constructivism. Is anarchy compatible with more than one structurelogic. This of course begs an understanding of the categories of friend. Anarchy provides foundations for realist, liberal, neorealist, and neoliberal paradigms of international relations. Social theory of international politics cambridge studies. For neorealists, state behavior and interests are shaped exogenously by the anarchic structure of the international system. Collective identity formation and the international state. The development of the third wendt might be traceable to an exchange between hayward alker and steve smith on the one hand and wendt on the other, also in response to the publication of stip. The social construction of power politics, international organization 46, no 2 1992. All content in this area was uploaded by alexander wendt on jul 11, 2016. Katzenstein, emanuel adler, michael barnett, kathryn sikkink, john ruggie. Anarchy is what states make of it, alexander went, cp p 147159 anarchy and power politics classical realists hobbes, morgenthau. Wendt, alexander 1992 anarchy is what states make of it, international organization 463. The thrust of wendtian constructivism einternational relations.
Wendt, alexander 1999 social theory of international politics first edition. The constructivist challenge to structural realism. Summary of wendts anarchy is what states make of it. My guess is that a world state will emerge within 100 years, which makes the process potentially relevant to policymakers and scholars today, but nothing below turns on that prediction. Alexander wendt, anarchy is what states make of it. Anarchy is what states make of it alexander wendt wendt holds in anarchy is what states make of it that international politics is socially constructedstates have a say in what anarchy means. One cannot call it an original theory because already earlier theorists had spoken about anarchy starting from hobbes himself. Social theory of international politics by wendt, alexander.
The first structural element of the international system is anarchy as for. Alexander wendt american political scientist and educator. However, i am not concerned here with historical contingencies or timing. The debate between realists and liberals has reemerged as an axis of contention in international relations theory. The social construction of power politics wendt alexander. Cambridge university press international organization foundation.
Social theory of international politics is destined to become perhaps the most discussed book in international relations theory in a generation. Review of wendt, social theory of international politics. The debate between realists and liberals has reemerged as an axis. The constructivist alexander wendt argued, anarchy is what states make of it. Alker, on learning from wendt, steve smith, wendts world, and alexander wendt, on. This of course begs an understanding of the categories of friend and enemy, and it is through this opening that wendt. Although wendt agrees with a statist view, he argues that an important field of research should treat state interests and identity as the dependent variable. The title of his new book is selfconsciously designed to echo kenneth waltzs 1979 theory of international politics, the work that most filled this role for international relations during the last two decades. Collective identity formation and the international state, alexander wendt. Structure has no existence or causal powers apart from process.
However, one issue that i set aside in my 2003 piece was the normative or political question of whether a world state would be a good thing. Cambridge university press international organization. Wendt, on the other hand, posits that state behavior and. Why a world state is inevitable alexander wendt, 2003. Alexander wendt is mershon professor of international security and professor of political science at the ohio state university. Drawing upon philosophy and social theory, social theory of international politics develops a theory of the international system as a social construction. Revolving in the past around competing theories of. Alexander wendt ohio state university december 2004. He received his phd in 1989 from the university of minnesota, and before coming to osu in 2004 had taught previously at yale university, dartmouth college, and the university of chicago. Three cultures of anarchy wendt considers two questions.
Katzenstein, emanuel adler, michael barnett, kathryn sikkink, john ruggie, martha finnemore, and others have, within a. Alexander wendt, social theory of international politics cambridge. Alexander wendt a theory intends to explain reality and make a truth claim. Pdf summary of wendts, anarchy is what sates make of it. Alexander wendt, divides his argument into three main points in this article which will be elaborated in the next paragraphs. Mershon professor of international security and professor of political science, ohio state university. For further analysis, see michael taylor, community, anarchy and liberty cambridge. Social science and the politics of consent, forthcoming in politics and society. Wendt avers that, social constructions are as a result of norms and identities created by the actors in the international arena. Alexander wendt born 12 june 1958 is an american political scientist who is one of the core social constructivist researchers in the field of international relations, and a key contributor to quantum social science. Drezner the sanctions paradox economic statecraft and international relations 64 viva ona bartkus the dynamic of secession 63 john a. We should not necessarily treat interests and identity as given.
The emergence of a world state is a historical inevitability. Social theory of international politics alexander wendt. See, inter alia, alexander wendt, the agentstructure problem in international relations the ory, international organization, vol. Dec 03, 2017 wendt concedes that there are those who study how first and secondimage factors affect state identity and interests. Alexander wendt, germanborn american political scientist and educator, one of the mostinfluential theorists of the socialconstructivist approach to the study of international relations. Wendt, alexander 1992 anarchy is what states make of it. The social construction of power politics created date. The publication of wendts seminal book, social theory of international politics, in 1999 20 years after waltzs masterpiece theory of international politics offered the first overall constructivist critique of neorealism a long lasting ir paradigm and had many effects on the. The corporate identity of the state generates four basic interests or appetites. Wendt argues that states can view each other as enemies, rivals or friends, characterising these roles as cultures of anarchy, which are shared ideas which help. Ropp and kathryn sikkink eds the power of human rights international norms and domestic change 65 daniel w. On one level, wendts constructivism, which basically builds on previous stripes of the same theory, is established both as a metatheory that examines the social. Realisms shortcoming is its failure to do this although wendt agrees that realist game theory is entirely appropriate in situations where we can assume. Wendt concedes that there are those who study how first and secondimage factors affect state identity and interests.
Wendts conceptualisation of the culture of anarchy. Alexander wendt 1992 wrote his article anarchy is what states make of it and to a large extent wendt is right in saying that. Alexander wendt ohio state university december 2004 forthcoming in stefano guzzini and anna leander, eds. Alexander wendt anarchy theory essay example topics and. In effect, the logic of anarchy is not to produce conflict and war, as realists believe, but a world state. On its surface, the empirical puzzle of the threat embodied by north korean missiles is easy to explain. Selfhelp and power politics are institutions, not essential features of anarchy. Alexander wendt clarifies the central claims of the constructivist approach, presenting a structural and idealist worldview which contrasts with the individualism and materialism which underpins much mainstream international relations theory. Drawing upon philosophy and social theory, social theory of international politics develops a cultural theory of international politics which contrasts with the realist mainstream. Pdf theories of international relations alexander wendt.
Kenneth waltz, theory of international politics read ing, mass addisonwesley, 1979, pp. The social construction of power politics, international organization, vol. Theories of international relations alexander wendt, anarchy is what states make of. Anarchy and by extension power politics are not materialistic in nature but what states make of them. Available formats pdf please select a format to send. Constructivists think there are more possibilities than this. In this book, the theory presented does not apply to any form of social reality, and its.
Alexander wendt the agentstructure problem in international relations number department introductionmany have come to know alexander wendt because of his constructivist theory. May 19, 2020 wendt, alexander 1992 anarchy is what states make of it. Oct 06, 1995 in it, alexander wendt, a political scientist, suggests rather a different reading for international relations and states systems. Social theory of international politics guillaume nicaise. The times literary supplement alexander wendt has drawn on an exceptional range of theoretical literature in his effort to reconceptualize the nature of the international system. I argue that selfhelp and power politics do not follow either logically or causally from anarchy and that if today we find ourselves in a selfhelp world, this is due to process, not structure. In alexander wendts article in 1999 anarchy is what states make of it, he particularly focuses on the structures and systems in making his arguments, which he has also illustrated constructivisms stance on the idea of anarchy in international politics and the importance of understanding interaction towards achieving the possibility. Mar 09, 2011 alexander wendt, social theory of international politics cambridge.
Constructivist theory disputes that anarchy is a fundamental condition of the international system. Alexander wendt, born 1958, mainz, west germany, germanborn american political scientist and educator, one of the mostinfluential theorists of the socialconstructivist approach to the study of international relations wendt was a graduate of macalester college b. The teleology and logic of anarchy, alexander wendt. Wendt and academics such as nicholas onuf, peter j. Alexander wendt, social theory of international politics. Anarchy is the term used in international relations to describe a social sys tem that. My guess is that a world state will emerge within 100 years, which makes the process potentially relevant to policymakers and scholars today. Anarchy is what states make of it anarchy and power are not static and understandable meaning can be redefined by social actors, no reason why selfhelp and competitive anarchy has to be the meaning of anarchy, it has been defined as this but it could be reconstructed differently anarchy as a malleable condition. Social theory of international politics by alexander wendt. Constructivist alexander wendt stated that anarchy is what the states make of it. The goal of wendts article is to build a bridge by developing a constructivist argument, drawn from structurationist and symbolic interactionist sociology, on behalf of the liberal claim that international institutions can transform state identities and interests 394.
It might not be easy to change, but we made the way it is, and not just made but constantly re made it, every day in our individual and collective actions. The world state constructivism is all about agency and contingency, about how the social world doesnt have to be the way it is. Wildavsky, aaron 1994 why selfinterest means less outside of a social. It means that if a state calls the international system to be anarchic then it is all about the states. In it, alexander wendt, a political scientist, suggests rather a different reading for international relations and states systems.