Politikon (Sep 2014)

Ideal and Beyond

  • Hakan Mehmetcik

DOI
https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.24.6
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 24

Abstract

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There is now a substantial body of theory on international relations. However, to understand theories of International Relations, we need to focus on the history of the discipline, which somehow always starts with idealist theory of International Relations. Therefore, it is worth to plunging into the debate on the structure of idealist International Relations theory to grab the essence of the dynamics and aims of the attempts that theorists try to address in the International Relations. This effort also consists of finding out the use and abuse of theory within the discipline as an attempt to point out the myth functions in International Relations theories. The paper aims to present idealist theory of International Relations by pinpointing differences with realist impulses on human nature, the nature of international relations, and cyclical view of history.

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