Diplomacy Introduction Diplomacy is one of the oldest and most important institutions of international relations. It provides the principal means through which states communicate, negotiate, manage disputes, pursue interests, and maintain relationships without resorting to force. Although diplomacy traditionally focused on relations among sovereign states, contemporary diplomacy also involves international organizations, non-state actors, businesses, civil…

IR Approaches – End of History Debate Introduction The End of History debate is associated primarily with Francis Fukuyama’s argument that the end of the Cold War represented a major ideological turning point. Fukuyama argued that liberal democracy, combined with a market-oriented economic system, had emerged as the most successful general model of political organization…

IR Approaches –  Clash of Civilizations Introduction The Clash of Civilizations thesis is associated primarily with Samuel P. Huntington. Huntington argued that after the Cold War, major sources of international conflict might increasingly involve differences among civilizations rather than ideological competition between superpowers. The thesis generated extensive debate concerning culture, identity, religion, globalization, and international…

IR Approaches –  Complex Interdependence Introduction Complex Interdependence is an approach associated primarily with Robert Keohane and Joseph Nye. It challenges the assumption that international politics is dominated exclusively by military power and relations among states. The concept emphasizes multiple connections among states and societies, multiple channels of interaction, the declining centrality of military force…

IR Appoaches – Democratic Peace Theory Introduction Democratic Peace Theory is an influential theory in International Relations concerning the relationship between political regime type and international conflict. Its central proposition is that established liberal democracies have historically been less likely to fight wars against one another than other pairs of states. The theory does not…

Power Transition Theory Introduction Power Transition Theory is a major approach to understanding changes in the international distribution of power and the possibility of conflict between dominant and rising states. The theory focuses particularly on periods when an established dominant power faces a rapidly rising challenger. It argues that major conflict can become more likely…