Theory and Metatheory in International Relations
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Theory and Metatheory in International Relations Concepts and Contending Accounts Fred Chernoff
Theory and Metatheory in International Relations Copyright Fred Chernoff, 2007. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2007 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS. Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-4039-7455-6 DOI 10.1057/9780230606883 ISBN 978-0-230-60688-3 (ebook) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chernoff, Fred. Theory and metatheory in international relations : concepts and contending accounts / Fred Chernoff. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4039-7455-6 1. International relations Philosophy. I. Title. JZ1305.C445 2007 327.101 dc22 2007009642 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Scribe Inc. First Edition: November 2007 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents List of Tables and Figures Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1 1 Three Policy Dilemmas 7 2 Policy Decisions and Theories of International Relations 35 3 International Relations and Scientific Criteria for Choosing a Theory 79 4 Reflectivist Opposition to the Scientific Approach 131 5 Conclusion: Contending Approaches to the Study of International Relations 179 Notes 199 References 207 Index 215 vii ix
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List of Tables and Figures Table 1.1 Table 1.2 Table 1.3 Table 2.1 Table 2.2 Table 2.3 Table 2.4 Table 2.5 Table 2.6 Iraq rationales and policies North Korea rationales and policies China rationales and policies War initiation payoff matrix Principle criticisms of major IR theories Dimensions of competing theories Rationales for policies in Iraq and causal principles North Korea: Policies, rationales, and general principles China: Policies, rationales, and general principles Figure 2.1 Influences on policy choices Figure 2.2 Theory, policy, values Table 3.1 Table 3.2 Characteristics of natural science Doctrine, criterion, and effect on evaluation of theories Figure 3.1 Double image cube Table 4.1 Table 4.2 Table 5.1 Table 5.2 Rationalism-constructivism distinction as separate from substantive distinctions Nine reflectivist principles and reflectivist theories Reflectivist theories Nature of Iraq war rationales
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Preface and Acknowledgments This book is an introduction to new debates in international relations. It attempts to show why anyone who wants to solve foreign policy problems must understand theories of international relations and the philosophical issues involved in determining how to choose the best theory. This book poses policy questions intended to motivate students to think critically about the assumptions and beliefs that underlay particular policy recommendations. It shows the specific links between policy decisions and principles of international relations theories and the further links to philosophical claims about how to choose the best theory. Thus this book shows why it is important to examine and contrast the competing scientific-style rationalist foundations of social science theory with constructivist and poststructuralist positions, since each offers a different way of understanding what constitutes a good theory of international relations. This book also provides students with the tools necessary to analyze competing arguments by working its way from foreign policy problems to the contemporary debates about the nature and foundations of international relations theory. Chapter 1 discusses choices among policies toward Iraq, North Korea, and China. Chapter 2 discusses contending contemporary theories, which support different policy positions. Chapter 3 considers how the best theory is chosen in the natural sciences; it then draws an analogy to the social sciences in order to answer the question, how does one decide which theory of international relations is best? This, however, requires that we lay out the appropriate criteria for choosing a natural science theory. Chapter 4 raises some of the contemporary questions about applying the analogy with the natural sciences. The book concludes with a sketch in Chapter 5 of a possible solution to some of the problems of methodology and metatheory raised in the previous chapters. This book began at the urging of David Pervin of Palgrave Macmillan and would not have been written without his vigorous encouragement. Toby Wahl seamlessly took over the project in the later phases. Patrick Jackson of the American University and Mai a Davis Cross of Colgate University put much time and effort into reading the entire manuscript and making many insightful and important recommendations, which led to significant improvements in both content and structure. The treatment of a variety of issues was sharpened by conversations
x Preface and Acknowledgments with colleagues at many institutions, especially with Dan Nexon of Georgetown University, Colin Wight of the University of Exeter, Doug Macdonald and Al Yee of Colgate University, and Doug Becker of the University of Southern California. Other colleagues in the Department of Political Science at Colgate University offered helpful suggestions. Luke Champlin, Ian Elliot, Lauren Fiola, Kelly Gabriel, Ben Jones, and Michael Sheflin provided excellent research assistance. The library of the Yale Club of New York City was also great help. Much excitement has been supplied by my partner in the ring, Monty, and his little cousin Gracie. There are some people whose contributions cannot be acknowledged too fully or too often, but one must try. I wish to thank Bruce Russett for his confidence in me, for decades of wise advice and for presenting me with the best possible model of scholarship and integrity; my senior IR colleagues at Colgate and predecessors in my current position, Bob Rothstein and John Vasquez, for having done the same over shorted periods; my wife Vida for her support and her foresight that made possible the timely completion of this book; my family especially HDR, Myrna and Marshall Barth, and K. Nastassja Chernoff for their enduring encouragement and my friends, without whom there is no point especially Dick Heller, John Aguilar, Dusty Vinson, Lee Arnold, Jun Song, and Dana and Adele Levitt. This book is dedicated to my students and their search for better answers. New York City July 15, 2007