The modern theories of international relations – old thoughts or innovative ideas?
Investigation of Constructivism and Critical Theory
by the three Traditions of Martin Wight

Index

1. Preface S.1

2. Key-attributes and main representatives of the separate theories.

2.1 The English School and Martin Wight S.2
2.2 The Constructivism and Alexander Wendt S.3
2.3 The Critical Theory and Andrew Linklater S.4

3. Old and new in the modern theories- Constructivism as well as Critical Theory and the three traditions.

3.1 Human nature S.5
3.2 International society S.6
3.3 National state S.7
3.4 Foreign policy

3.4.1 International cooperation S.9
3.4.2 Diplomacy S.10

3.5 International law and ethics S.12

4. Conclusion S.13

Bibliography S.15

1. Preface

Martin Wight, a lecturer of international business relations, member of the “British Committee”, as well as founder of the English School, first mentioned in his lectures the three traditions of the international theories which have been edited in a book with the title “Martin Wright, International theory: the three traditions” by his former students after his death. In his reflections about the international politics and the leading theories he tries to classify the three leading schools and to show the continuity of those. In this connection, the two basic facts of the international relations are formulated. Firstly that there is no “body” in the international theory , but the individual schools of theory influence and cross each other, and secondly that the new theoreticians learn from the old ideas, so that the new theories are simply shift of the stress in the old kind of thinking, but do not represent a new and independent theory, or to say it with Wights words: “ (the) leading premiss is that political ideas do not change much, and the range of ideas is limited.”¹ Based on this assumption I will analyse in the following the Constructivism of Alexander Wendt und the Critical Theory according to Andrew Linklater which belong to the post-positivistic group of the international theories. In this connection I will use Wight’s traditions to check, whether his claims will be acknowledged or whether these modern theories establish a new and independent line. Starting with a short introduction in the main characteristics and main statements of the several schools I will assign the modern theoreticians to the corresponding traditions of Martin Wight using the statements concerning the human nature, the international society, the national state as well as the foreign policy and the international law. Furthermore I will check whether and where they are similar in order to discuss an conclusion where there are differences and similarities between the ancient and the new „thinkers“ and to what extent the statement of Wight is justified or not.

2. Key-attributes and main-representatives of the separate theories

2.1 The English School and Martin Wight

As already mentioned above, Martin Wight, as a founder of this English school, divided in his thoughts between three main traditions in the theoretical thinking of the international politics. The realists, also called Machiavellian, represent the international anarchy, the war of all against all according to Hobbes, as well as power and self-help as the formative principles of international politics. The rationalists, also called Grotian represent the international society, in which the states maintain their sovereignty, but act rational in their own interest and try to solve problems, as far as possible, in a peaceful way. The main principles of this tradition are mutual considerateness, diplomacy and cooperation. The revolutionists also called Kantian are cosmopolitans who make it to their business to free the human beings from their chains of exclusively governmental monopoles and to found a world-community where anyone has the same rights and the same lifestyle.² The „British Committee on the Theory of international Politics“, in whose foundation Wight was importantly involved, was a forum for scientists of politics and historians in order to discuss existing theories of international relations and to share their own ideas. The members were convinced traditionalists, represented the interpretative basis to solve the processes in the international milieu and turned against the szientistic influenced theoreticians who wanted to explain the sociologically stamped processes between the states by using scientific methods and measurements.³ Wight’s criticism towards the existing theories of international relations aims against the to strong concentration on a certain occasion or object which causes that the theories become to specific , are not adaptive to other fields and will be
abolished by next occasions. That’s why he prefers the connection of the three traditions.⁴

2.2 The Constuctivism and Alexander Wendt

[...]

1 , Gabriele/Porter, Brian (publ.), Martin Wight. International theory. The three traditions, London 1991, p. 5. 1

2 Add. ibid., p. 7-24.

3 Add. Daase, Christopher, Die Englische Schule, in: Schieder, Siegfried/Spinder, Manuela (publ.), Theorien der internationalen Beziehungen, Opladen 2003, p. 227-229. 2

4 Add. Wight, Martin, Why is there no international theory?, in: Der Derian, James (publ.), International theory: critical investigations, New York 1995, p. 21-23.