Explaining and Understanding International Relations

by Martin Hollis, Steve Smith

A collaboration between a philosopher and an international relations scholar, this work examines the philosophical issues that underlie the theory of international relations. Part I focuses on the dominant theories of Idealism, Realism, and Behavioralism, and Part II examines the international system, the state, bureaucracies, and the individual--four factors commonly assumed to account for international behavior. The authors conclude with a summary of the links between the two forms of analysis and an open-ended assessment of their relative merits which will stimulate further discussion.

Genres: International Relations, Political Science, Politics, Philosophy, Academic

236 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 1990

Reviews

[Nanto]

good book for those who pay attention towards the two distinct approaches in social sciences, especially in IRs: understanding (verstehen) and explanation (verklaren).

[Melissa]

Read for school. Super boring.

[Denise DeRocher]

A book of IR theory for the graduate level - an excellent text!