The Logic of Anarchy: Neorealism to Structural Realism

Barry Buzan, Charles Jones and Richard Little

New York

Columbia University Press

1993

Section I
Rethinking System and Structure

 

This section of the book undertakes the first stage of transformation from Neorealism to Structural Realism. The method is to work through .Waltz's logic in its own terms, suggesting reformulations where it is weak or defective, clarifying it where it is unclear or underdeveloped, and pushing it further where it has stopped short. The spirit of this approach is in line with the conclusions reached by both Ruggie and Keohane (but probably not by Waltz), that Waltz's theory is best seen as a beginning rather than as a finished product (in Keohane 1986:152, 191).

The title of his book (Theory of International Politics) is studiously noncommital on whether it is a theory or the theory, though he is clear that it is a theory of politics. Our intention is to construct a theory of international relations, which we call Structural Realism. By seeing it as a theory we assert that Structural Realism is an extremely interesting and useful way of understanding the international system. But it is only one theory among many, and we make no claim that it is the only valid way of conceptualizing the international system. It is simply one way that strikes us as being useful, not least because it can be made complementary to other perspectives, serving as a firm foundation on which to integrate many other elements of international relations theory. By focusing on international relations, our aim is to begin drawing structural theory out of its narrow political domain, and to start interweaving it with the more socioeconomic concerns of liberal thinking about the international system. In this respect, we are in complete sympathy with the desire of Keohane and Nye to fuse Neorealism and liberalism into a full system theory that incorporates process as well as structure (Keohane and Nye 1987:747). Toward this end, our aim is to extend the logical reach of the theory so that it can more easily be connected to the study of specific situations and cases.

Chapter 2 looks briefly at Waltz and his critics. It relates Waltz's theory to the level of analysis problem, and looks at the criticisms that it is too narrow, too static, and too restrictive of other types of system analysis. Chapter 3 reconsiders the foundations of a structural theory of international relations. It begins with the general idea of the international system, examines the consequences of restricting the inquiry to the political system, and then goes into a detailed investigation of the logic underlying levels of analysis. Chapter 4 departs completely from Neorealism, taking up the issue of interaction as a key element in system theory, and looking particularly at the quality of capabilities across the system as a whole. It shows how variations in interaction capability determine the very nature, as well as the consequences, of structure.

Care is taken throughout to preserve the distinction between structural theory and system theory. Confusion about this important distinction seems to underlie much of the discussion of Neorealism, including that by Waltz himself.