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International relations theories : discipline and diversity. - University of Edinburgh

discovered.ed.ac.uk

This academic resource reveals why no single theory can explain global politics — and why the tension between competing IR frameworks is itself the most important lesson in the field.

RealismConstructivismLiberal InternationalismParadigm Theory

Theory Briefing

  • Edited by leading IR scholars Dunne and Kurki, the volume maps the full landscape of international relations theories in one disciplinary survey.
  • The book's title — 'discipline and diversity' — signals a core tension: IR is unified enough to be a field yet fractured by rival theoretical worldviews.
  • From realism to constructivism, each framework offers a different lens on power and cooperation, showing that theory choice shapes the world leaders think they inhabit.