Applying Theory

The question that Gabe West posed in class yesterday about the applicability of IR theories really got me thinking. Theories can help us explain events but can they be used in decision-making?

My perception of IR theory is still forming but right now it seems to me that no theory should claim to explain why all states do what they do. I think that theories can accurately explain why individual states do what they do, but not all states. I think that some states may be more liberal than others that may be more realist, that is they follow the tenets of those schools of thought closely. For example, I do not believe that the states of the EU are realist states. They are incredibly interconnected with each other and adhere to laws and regulations that supersede their own. They are certainly not realist and lean more towards liberalism. A state like the US on the other had is incredibly focused on physical survival and spends more on defense than any other state by a massive margin. Our invasion of Iraq nearly unilaterally with complete disregard of the UN shows that the US does not place much stock in the power of international organizations. To say that the US and states of the EU have to all fall under the same theoretical perspective is just plain wrong. But now that we have established that not all states fall under the same theoretical umbrella we must ask Gabe’s question, how could these approaches actually be used then? I think they can be used as techniques by states for achieving certain goals, for example, achieving power status.

A state must recognize its place in the system. The US is the prominent world power so it pursues policies that will help it keep that power, which are almost inevitably realist. A state that is smaller and weaker will likely focus on liberal policies of interconnection and self-interest in order to help it rise in status in the system. So powerful states should focus on realist policies to maintain and protect their power because as powers they are the ‘states to beat,’ while weaker states should undertake liberal policies to increase their power by focusing on actions that will maximize their self-interest across the board and make them more powerful. Thus realist policies protect powerful states while liberal policies help to create powerful states. A weak state will be liberal in order to maximize its interests until it moves ahead of other states, then it will become realist to protect its power against would-be aggressors. The process I just described is the application of theory. I asked, “How can I use theory to achieve power if I am a weak state,” and I reached that conclusion. I think states could do this for any goal they wish to achieve and see how theory can help them solve their problem.