Looking at interpretations of current events through an IR theory lens, it is astonishing at how often claims have been made that war is likely, and that we have no way of understanding what North Korea might do.
Games allow professors to show students that knowledge does not only have to come from a lecturer, but can also be experienced. Through games, students appreciate the complexities of international politics.
Like other forms of prudence, maxims are tools at hand that can help political actors feel their way through the thickets of international relations and point to constructive ways of being in world politics.
It is often said that IR has become a complex and diverse field of study. With this expansion has come unclear limits as to what does, or does not, fall within the parameters of the field.
The Game of Thrones TV show and novels have become appealing to scholars as they touch on theoretical concepts and issues central to IR, and feature parallels to real-world events.
Students usually find theory the part of courses they enjoy least. The challenge, then, is to make theory accessible, to give the students something to do, rather than just something to listen to.
IR theorists face the challenge of situating religion in their explanations of global events, but, as Sandal argues, this does not necessarily require the abandoning of existing theories.
The biggest shortcoming of IR students is their lack of historical background. If this problem was corrected, it would greatly help their efforts at understanding the world around them.
While IR has grown far beyond its boundaries, the plurality of what we refer to as “international relations” has changed so dramatically that it is difficult for students to decide exactly where they should fall on the spectrum.
Scholars and public commentators need to integrate the insights of the realist logic of struggle for domination and security, with the liberal logic of political development and change.
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