Analytical genealogy of neoclassical realism: from foreign policy to international politics

پژوهش نامه ایرانی سیاست بین الملل

Volume 13, Issue 1 - Serial Number 25, January 2025, Pages 218-197   

Document Type: Original Article

DOI: 10.22067/irlip.2024.86593.1493

Author

Amirroham Shojaie^*

Department of Political Science, University of Guilan

Abstract

International relations theories can be divided into theories of foreign policy and international politics . Although there is a close relationship between the theories of foreign policy and international politics and these two are not separate, however, these two cannot be considered the same. Foreign policy theories seek to analyze, explain and predict the foreign behavior of governments and various factors influencing it, while international politics theories seek to explain what, how and the effects of interactions between governments in an environment called the international system. One of the most recent realist theories of foreign policy is the theory of neoclassical realism. This theory uses a combination of structural realism's macro view and classical realism's micro view.This theory uses a combination of the macro view of structural realism and the micro view of classical realism and considers foreign policy as a product of the interaction of structural and domestic factors. Emphasis on systemic limitations along with non-systemic selectors; The explanatory power of this theory has increased. Some thinkers (known as the third generation of neoclassical realism) have sought to rewrite and advance this theory as a theory of international politics.The question of this article is: neoclassical realism from the beginning of its emergence and expression as a theory complementary to structural realism, until recent years when it has been restructured as a new theory of international politics; What changes and transformations, in what dimensions, has it gone through?
The importance of this issue is especially due to the fact that this theory is less known in Iran, and it is known only as a foreign policy theory, while the scope of this theory is much wider. In this article, by describing the opinions of the main thinkers of neoclassical realism and with an explanatory-analytical method, this question will be answered: neoclassical realism from the beginning of its appearance as a complementary theory to structural realism, until recent years, when it has been restructured as a new theory of international politics; What changes and transformations has it gone through? The main hypothesis is that over time, neoclassical realism has moved towards eclectic, multi-level and interdisciplinary analysis and has moved away from the realist hard core. The research method is analytical-explanatory; with a theoretical approach.

Keywords

Neoclassical realism; New theory; International politics; Foreign policy; International relations

References

 

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