International Relations Theory in 21st Century

Abstract

The purpose of this research in to study (1) The development of international relations theory (2) International Relations Theory in 21^st century and (3) The benefits and constraint of international relations theory.  The study of the topic reveals that the study of international relations theory can be traced to E.H. Carr’s “The Twenty Years’ Crisis”, which was published in 1939 and to Hans J. Morgenthau’s “Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace” published in 1948 which presented the concept of realism or international politics in the struggle for power. The key theories that have shaped the world politics and globalization are Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism and Marxism. Apart from these theories, a further 67 theories of International Relations have emerged as a sub-set to explain the key theories such as neo-Marxism feminism, green theory.  The benefit of international relations Theory is to conceptualize, explain and assess phenomenon. And the constraint of this theory is the power of explaining the situation or circumstances.