> > From: "Justin Schwartz" <jkschw at hotmail.com>
> > >
> > > The dominant neorealist view is that states are states and pursue
> > their
>
>I know what "realism" means in a dozen or so different contexts, but
>this one is not clear to me.
>
>Carrol
In international relations studies "realism" is the view that the main determinant of be behavior states in the internatioanl system is self-interested state behavior pursuing self-aggrandizement under conditions of anarchy (no world government). Kenneth Waltz is (or was, when I was in grad school) the main proponent of this view. It tends to ignore the internal structure of states. It's the default view in the field. Other theories include interdependency theory (Keohane and Nye), which emphasizes economic and political interrationships--a sort of globalization theory, dependency theory, and imperialism theory.
jks
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