Editing International relations theory (section)

==Constructivism==
{{Main|Constructivism (international relations)}}
[[File:West and East Germans at the Brandenburg Gate in 1989.jpg|thumb|right|310px|The standing of [[Constructivism in international relations|constructivism]] as an international relations theory increased after the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]] (pictured) and [[Communism]] in [[Eastern Europe]]<ref>Walt, Stephen M. (1998). ''Foreign Policy'', No. 110, Special Edition: Frontiers of Knowledge. (Spring, 1998), p. 41: "The end of the Cold War played an important role in legitimizing constructivist t realism and liberalism failed to anticipate this event and had trouble explaining it.</ref> as this was something not predicted by the existing mainstream theories.<ref>Hay, Colin (2002). ''Political Analysis: A Critical Introduction'', Basingstoke: Palgrave, p. 198</ref>]]
[[Constructivism (international relations)|Constructivism]] or [[social constructivism]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199285433/jackson_chap06.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070423000615/http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199285433/jackson_chap06.pdf|archive-date=2007-04-23|url-status=dead|chapter=Ch 6: Social Constructivism|title=Introduction to International Relations 3e|date=November 21, 2008|author=Richard Jackson|publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> has been described as a challenge to the dominance of neo-liberal and neo-realist international relations theories.<ref>Hopf, Ted (1998). "The Promise of Constructivism in International Relations Theory," ''International Security'', Vol. 23, No. 1, Summer, p. 171</ref> Michael Barnett describes constructivist international relations theories as being concerned with how ideas define international structure, how this structure defines the interests and identities of states and how states and non-state actors reproduce this structure.<ref>Barnett, Michael (2008). "Social Constructivism," in ''The Globalisation of World Politics'', edited by John Baylis, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens, New York: Oxford University Press, 4th ed., p. 162</ref> The key element of constructivism is the belief that "International politics is shaped by persuasive ideas, collective values, culture, and social identities." Constructivism argues that international reality is socially constructed by cognitive structures, which give meaning to the material world.<ref name="Adler, Emmanuel 1997, p.319">Adler, Emmanuel, Seizing the middle ground, European Journal of International Relations, Vol .3, 1997, p.319</ref> Whereas rational choice approaches assume that actors follow a "logic of consequences", constructivist perspectives suggest that they adhere to a "[[logic of appropriateness]]". The theory emerged from debates concerning the scientific method of international relations theories and theories role in the production of international power.<ref>Fierke, K.M. (2016). "Constructivism," in ''International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity'', edited by Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki, and Steve Smith, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p.167</ref> [[Emanuel Adler]] states that constructivism occupies a middle ground between rationalist and interpretative theories of international relations.<ref name="Adler, Emmanuel 1997, p.319"/>

Constructivist theory criticises the static assumptions of traditional international relations theory and emphasizes that international relations is a social construction. And constructivism is critical of the [[ontology|ontological]] basis of [[rationalist]] theories of international relations.<ref>In international relations ontology refers to the basic unit of analysis that an international relations theory uses. For example for neorealists humans are the basic unit of analysis</ref> Whereas realism deals mainly with security and material power, and liberalism looks primarily at economic interdependence and domestic-level factors, [[Constructivism in international relations|constructivism]] concerns itself primarily with the role of ideas in shaping the international system; indeed it is possible that there is some overlap between constructivism and realism or liberalism, but they remain separate schools of thought. By "ideas" constructivists refer to the goals, threats, fears, identities, and other elements of perceived reality that influence states and non-state actors within the international system.  Constructivists believe that these ideational factors can often have far-reaching effects, and that they can trump materialistic power concerns.

For example, constructivists note that an increase in the size of the U.S. military is likely to be viewed with much greater concern in Cuba, a traditional antagonist of the United States, than in Canada, a close U.S. ally. Therefore, there must be perceptions at work in shaping international outcomes. As such, constructivists do not see [[wikt:anarchy|anarchy]] as the invariable foundation of the international system,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irtheory.com/know.htm |title=The IR Theory Knowledge Base |website=Irtheory.com |date=2015-04-03 |access-date=2017-04-04 |archive-date=2011-02-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223164542/http://www.irtheory.com/know.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> but rather argue, in the words of [[Alexander Wendt]], that "anarchy is what states make of it".<ref>Wendt, Alexander (1992). "Anarchy is what states make of it: the social construction of power politics," in ''International Organization'', vol. 46, no. 2.</ref> Constructivists also believe that [[social norms]] shape and change foreign policy over time rather than security which realists cite.