Review – Quantum Mind and Social Science
Alexander Wendt claims the supremacy of scientific realism by establishing a synthesis between two irreconcilable ontologies: the physical and social.
Machiavelli as Misogynist: The Masculinization of Fortuna and Virtù
Although Machiavelli’s founding of Realist thought in politics was revolutionary, one must consider the nuanced misogynistic intonations he utilized throughout his piece.
Review – Thucydides on Choice and Decision Making: Why War is Not Inevitable
Ilias Kouskouvelis’ latest book provides a meticulous content analysis of Thucydides’ work, which focuses on choice and decision-making in relation to war and peace.
Review Feature – The US Foreign Policy Consensus in Crisis
Richard Coughlin analyses Kagan and Walt’s decade old debate on IR theory, the clash between realism and liberalism and how it ties into modern politics in the Trump era.
Review – Thucydides on the Outbreak of War
Jaffe’s excellent and accessible book deals with the state of the art literature on realism and constructivism and challenges realist interpretations of Thucydides.
Review – The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth
Mandelbaum’s book is an analytically flawed, contradictory and unconventional piece of realist scholarship that considers the instability of the post-Cold War period.
Student Feature – Theory in Action: Realism and ISIS
Realism often yields strong results as a tool of analysis, as examing the rise of the Islamic State group in the years after the Iraq invasion demonstrated.
How, if at all, Does Hierarchy Exist Both in the Theory and Practice of IR?
IR theoretical perspectives are governed by Western principles, thus constructing a hierarchy that places the West as the core analytical entity within the discourse.
Interview – Gustav Meibauer
Postdoctoral Fellow, Gustav Meibauer, discusses the effectiveness of ‘hybrid tools’ of foreign policy, neoclassical realism, diversity within IR and teaching innovations.
Was Clausewitz a Realist? If So, What Kind?
Clausewitz wrote about war and not how the international system operated. Transposed into the discipline of IR, his thinking is most in line with Neoclassical Realism.
