Choose 1 of the following topics and write a research of 5 pages
1. Give the core arguments of the three main theories of International Relations. Which theory, if any is the best one and why.
2. Realists are pessimistic about human societies, explain why
3. Compare Defensive Realism and Offensive Realism
4. Explain Liberalism as a theory of International Relations
5. Explain Constructivist theory
6. Examine the Relationship of World War 1 to Realism IR theory
7. Examine the Origins of World War 2
8. Does the Balance of Power Still Matter in International Politics?
9. How did the United State's belief in Capitalism and the Soviet Union's belief in Communism differ ideologically? How did this contribute to misperceptions between the superpowers?
10. Explain Mearsheimer's concept of Collective Security
11. "Wars occur because there is nothing to prevent them" ...do you agree? Explain why, in light of Alexander Wendt's article „Anarchy is what States Make of it?
12. What caused the First World War?
13. Could the Second World War have been prevented?
14. What brought about the cold war?
15. How close did the superpowers come to nuclear war? When and why?
16. Why did social constructivism emerge in the 1990s?
17. Who are the main actors in constructivist thought? Is this a helpful conceptualization of world politics?
18. What did Wendt mean by the phrase ‘anarchy is what states make of it'?
19. What is the constructivist view of culture?
20. What are the main differences between various constructivist thinkers?
21. Can constructivism adequately account for the material forces important to structural realism?
22. Do you feel that constructivism offers a truly new and convincing approach to world politics? If so, how? If not, what issues or theoretical concerns are still best addressed by more traditional approaches? Why?