International Relations: Theories, Concepts and Contemporary Issues
Foundations
Theories are lenses, not doctrines. Candidates must distinguish realism (states as unitary rational actors pursuing power and security under anarchy; balance of power, security dilemma, self-help), liberalism (cooperation through institutions, interdependence, democratic peace, absolute gains), constructivism (anarchy and interests are socially constructed through norms and identity), and critical/Marxist approaches (IPE structures, dependency, world-systems). Know mid-level concepts: polarity, hegemony, bandwagoning versus balancing, hedging, soft balancing, regime theory, epistemic communities, two-level games, and the security community.
Traps
Questions often swap levels of analysis (system, state, individual) or attribute a claim to the wrong author. Remember Waltz (structural realism), Mearsheimer (offensive realism), Keohane and Nye (complex interdependence), Wendt ("anarchy is what states make of it"), Bull (English School, society of states), and Kant (perpetual peace). Another trap is treating "liberal institutionalism" as idealism. Contemporary issues also invite false binaries: globalization is not simply homogenization; sovereignty is being reconfigured, not abolished; "global governance" is not world government.
Worked example
A question asks why two interdependent states still fight. Rule of thumb: run the three-level check - system (security dilemma, relative gains), state (regime type, domestic coalitions), individual (leadership perception). Then ask which theory predicts the outcome; interdependence raises the cost of conflict but does not remove distributive fears, which is why realists stress relative gains while liberals stress absolute gains.
Exam craft
Define terms precisely, contrast theories in a table mentally, and apply them to one current case (e.g., Indo-Pacific alignment) rather than listing them abstractly.