The world is becoming more interdependent in terms of trade, investment, ideas, and people. But this interdependence is creating new hopes and risks. How do individuals, states, and organizations cooperate for mutual gain? How do they compete against each other? These questions are at the core of international politics.
In analyzing this political process, scholars have developed broad theories of how the world works. The study of these broader theories is what is referred to as the discipline of international relations.
The dominant approach is called realism. This theory posits that state actors know their own preferences, are able to order those preferences in ways that maximize their benefits, and can project a unified set of interests into an international environment where no one knows what the other players will do.
There are two major schools of thought in realism. The first, hegemonic realists, take these basic assumptions and argue that someone is bound to consolidate power and dominate the international system. Hegemons are then able to determine the direction and characteristics of the global system.
In the other school of realism, institutionalists try to balance the power of states with the aspirations of liberal values. They use game theory to show how cooperation is possible and they attempt to establish norms and institutions that can overcome the anarchic tendencies toward conflict. In the end, however, they concede that some crucial problems defy unilateral solutions. They include global warming, stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and fighting global terrorism.
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