The Reaches of the International System: Six Channels
44 Pages Posted: 21 Jan 2016
Date Written: December 19, 2015
Abstract
Critically building upon existing discussion on system, structure, and the agent-structure problématique in IR and the broader social sciences, I argue that the international system impacts states via six distinct but interacting channels. Because existing discussions have either relied on one or two of the six channels or failed to adequately appreciate the interaction of the six channels, much of our existing understanding of states’ ideas and behavior has been inadequate. The new framework developed here sheds important lights on some of the key debates on the making of states and states’ ideas and behaviors in IR, thus adding clarity and coherence to our understanding. Our framework also contributes to the recent resurging interest in systemic approach in IR and the broader social sciences.
Keywords: international system; state; reaches of the system; channels
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