3. What are the limits of framing international relations theory in terms of idealism vs. realism? Paul E Atfield

Realism as a political theory dominates the international relations area, historically slaying or engulfing competing theories. Despite the dominance of realism, since idealism was butchered on the battlefields during World War II 1, it has been assigned to the political scrap heap many times. Both the scientific approach in the 1960s and transnationalism in the 1970s merely helped to craft a more robust form of realism. Timothy Dunne2 describes how the presence of realism today is …

…Yale, Yale Press, 1987) Articles Anthony McGrew, Barry Buzan and David Held (Debate), ‘Realism vs. Cosmopolitanism’, Review of International Studies, Vol. 24 (1998), pp. 387-398 Schweller Randal, ‘Foundations of Realism’, American Political Science Review, Vol. 5 (1997), pp. 927-930 Brilmay, ‘Realism Revisited; the Moral Priority of Means and Ends in Anarchy’, Nomos, Vol. 41(1999), pp. 92-215 Please note that any citations from this essay should be properly quoted in your bibliography and referrenced. Essay by Paul E Atfield, Durham Uni, On 20/10/00.