The story of IR’s evolution is started by a

series of “great debates”,beginning with

disiplionary defining “great debates” between
‘idealist’ and ‘realist’ and extending perhaps
to the latest debate today between ‘rationalist’
and ‘reflectivist’ (Banks,1986 ; Katzen-stein
et.al,1999 ; Keohane,1988 ; Lijphart,1974 ;
Maghoori,1982 ; Mitshell,1980 )
IR CONCEPTS/THEORIES
 Series of events
• 1648 : in 1648, the Westphalian are held by Europian state. This
agreement is regarded as the 1st point of nation-state development.
• 1914-1918 : The first World War cause many people died, therefore
public want this tragedy not happen again and they want break out
from the shadows of violence. This pressure motivate the
establishment of Nation League or have been known as “Liga
Bangsa-bangsa” to ‘secure guarantees for mutually beneficial political
independence and integration of large and small areas’ (Vasquez
1996: 40), to control states that want power, ending the war and
achieve peace more or less permanent . This is being the first of the
IR’s development as study which focus its study on how to effort a
peace in that time.
• 1939-1945 : The second World War happened. It cause
stimulus to this field, and cause a new idea of world
government in a study IR.
• 1940s-1990s : The Cold War was the conflict between the
capitalism nations and communist nations (competition
between US and Soviet Union) following World War II.
The Cold War was firmly expressed through propaganda,
military coalitions, weapon development, espionage,
industrial advances as well as technological development.
Such activites successfully hightened further competition
and tension between the warring parties. The end of Cold
War indicated by the collapse of Soviet Union’s regime.
Since that time, world is fulled with hope of peacefulness
in society.
• 1960s-1970s : The development of IR become more complex due to
the involvement of IGOs ( Inter-Government Organization) and
INGOs ( Inter Non – Governmental Organization).
• 1980s - ….. : IR become a study of foreign affairs and global issues
among states within the international system and also become a study
of interaction international actors whose attitude can influence a
nation-state policy
The great debates

Utopian liberalist & realist

Traditionalist & behavioralist

Neorealism & neo-marxism

pospositivism approach
1 debate
st
 2nd debate
The second debate refers to the differences in methodology. Traditional approach is a
holistic approach that accept the complexity of the human world, to see
international relations as part of the human world, and seeks to understand the way
of humanity to get it. Involvement was imaginatively into the role of citizens, seek
to understand the moral dilemma in its foreign policy, and to appreciate the basic
values that arise, such as security, order, freedom and justice. IR, in this view, is
the subject of broad humanity; this can never be a truly scientific or technical
subject technically.

Another approach, behavioralist, does not provide a place for morality or ethics in
IR studies, since it involves values, and values can not be studied objectively, that
is, scientifically.

The behavioralist not win the second major debate, as well as the traditionalist.
But behavioralism do something more lasting impact on IR. It was largely due to
the dominance of the discipline after World War II by the U.S’s Scientist the
largest majority support quantitative, scientific ambitions of behavioralism.
3rd debate
4th debate
 CONCLUSION / OPINION

Now, the evolution IR became a Study has developed each step by step passed
many ‘series of events’ several years ago. Besides that ‘series of events’, the
history and development of IR cannot separated from the ‘Great debates’. As
we know the great debates have influenced the theory of IR.

1st debate between ‘utopian liberalist’ and ‘realist’

2nd debate between ‘traditionalist’ against ‘ behavioralist’
3rd debate between ‘neorealism/neoliberalism’ against ‘neo-marxism’
4th debate about ‘pospositivism approach’.

Though there are many theories related to IR, there will be no “the most
important” theory because every theory has strength and weakness each other
because every theory is made by different people. So, we just consider which
theory is match with our mindset / ideology ( it will depend on the person).