Theory and metatheory in international relations: concepts and contending accounts

Fred Chernoff1403974543, 9781403974549, 9780230606883, 9781403974556, 1403974551

The book is an introduction to new debates in international relations.  It shows why anyone who wants the best answer to foreign policy problems, like how to deal with North Korea’s nuclear arms program, must look at debates in IR theory, and also debates in metatheory.  The latter involve questions about whether IR is much or little like the natural sciences, whether prediction is possible, and the like.  The book poses policy questions intended to motivate students to think critically about the assumptions and beliefs that underlay particular policy recommendations.  It shows the specific links between those policy choices and principles of international relations theories and the further links to philosophical claims about how to choose the best theory.  The book thus shows why it is important to examine and contrast the competing scientific-style rationalist foundations of social science theory with constructivist and postmodern positions, since each offers a different way of understanding what constitutes a good theory of international relations.

---

Table of contents :
Cover……Page 1
Contents……Page 6
List of Tables and Figures……Page 8
Preface and Acknowledgments……Page 10
Introduction……Page 12
1 Three Policy Dilemmas……Page 18
2 Policy Decisions and Theories of International Relations……Page 46
3 International Relations and Scientific Criteria for Choosing a Theory……Page 90
4 Reflectivist Opposition to the Scientific Approach……Page 142
5 Conclusion: Contending Approaches to the Study of International Relations……Page 190
Notes……Page 210
References……Page 218
C……Page 226
D……Page 227
F……Page 228
J……Page 229
M……Page 230
P……Page 231
R……Page 232
T……Page 233
Z……Page 234