Theories And Arguments Of International Relations

Theories and arguments of international relations help in conceptualizing and understanding the international orders to explaining the interaction among states. These orders emerge after major wars have changed the route of history as the leading states, the winners, sought to hold onto their newly acquired power trying to reform basic organizing rules, principles, and arrangements. The character of the order changed because the capacity and the mechanisms of states to restrain and limit power to make the order last also changed. However, after the settlement of World War II, and more specifically after the end of Cold War the institutional binding strategy has been the main tool to restrain and limit power in order to build long term relations, …show more content…
So after the junctures of 1648, 1713, 1815, and the two World Wars, newly powerful states, the winners, had the opportunity to set new agreements, new rules, and principles to remake a new international order. The interstate relations after a major war were dramatically changed as there were winners and losers. This new distribution of power was the outcome of great postwar junctures and a new relation between the powerful and weak states emerged. The question raised of how the leading states used their power and made it last. They have three possible options. They could dominate prevailing the distribution of gains, abandon the old regime, or try to make it last and transform it into a durable order where weaken states could overcome their fear. Leading postwar states historically preferred the third option. They tried to use institutions to persuade (lock in) weaker states in the post war order. Hence, the winner had to offer them something in return, a credible restraint on its own exercise of power. This type of international order emerged after great wars in order to bind the states themselves to long term …show more content…
The main difference is that the destruction of societies and political regimes resulted from the collapse of the Soviet empire and not from the outcome of the war. The order among industrial powers did not change, only the bipolar international order has been destroyed. After the Cold War era the United States have continued to support this institution building order agenda. Furthermore, these institutions like the NATO expansion and the World Trade Organization have been main elements of this agenda as a mechanism to lock other states into desired policy orientations. State cooperation has been a long lasting one. For instance, although the bipolar international system ended, the Alliance does exist despite the absence of a defined state