Social_Theory_of_International_Politics
Social Theory of International Politics
Book by Alexander Wendt
Social Theory of International Politics is a book by Alexander Wendt. It expresses a constructivist approach to the study of international relations[1] and is one of the leading texts within the constructivist approach to international relations scholarship.
Social Theory of International Politics expresses a theory that emphasises the role of shared ideas and norms in shaping state behaviour.[2] It is critical of both liberal and realists approaches to the study of international relations which, Wendt argues, emphasize materialist and individualistic motivations for state actions rather than norms and shared values as Wendt argues they should.[3]
In a review of Social Theory of International Politics in Foreign Affairs G. John Ikenberry argued that the first section of the book is a "winding tour" of constructivism's underpinning. After this Wendt explores possible alternative "cultures" of international relations (Hobbesian, Lockean, and Kantian) a result of his view that anarchy does not necessarily mean that states must adopt egoistical self-help behaviour. Wendt further explores this view in an influential journal article "Anarchy Is What States Make of It" published in the journal International Organization.
The book was the winner of the International Studies Association's Best Book of the Decade Award 1991–2000. The title is a reference to Kenneth Waltz's 1979 work Theory of International Politics.