Waltzing in the dark: Shedding some light on 'Theory of International Politics'

This dissertation is about the vocabulary of international relations. It will explore and critically evaluate the theoretical frameworks of liberalism, realism and neorealism and their use of language. The main questions are: First, what is a system, what does it mean when theorists speak of an international system and is their use of the concept consistent with a definition generally accepted by the social sciences? For example, while Kenneth Waltz claims inspiration from sociologist Emile Durkheim, his use of "system" differs substantially from Durkheim's.;Second, what is politics and what is political theory? Realists such as Morgenthau and neorealists such as Waltz, argue that politics is concerned with power so that the two become virtually synonymous. Politics is a struggle for power and international politics is the struggle for power among nations. If this is true, then political theory is nothing more than a theory of power and its use. What of economics and culture? Is economic power also political power? Rather than being simply about power, politics concerns a specific kind of power. One of the main distinguishing factors between economics and politics is morality. Mill and Durkheim, for example, recognized that economics alone was amoral and that political theory and action were required to provide a moral component.;Finally, how does political theory relate to the system? For realists and neorealists the main concern is, of course, power. But for Durkheim, the social system is designed to fulfill a moral purpose and politics is vitally important in satisfying that function.