Why did one country choose military deterrence while another chose economic cooperation to face the exact same threat? Questions like this are what political theory in international relations tries to answer. Far from being abstract academic ideas, these theories are analytical tools that explain how states behave, how international actors interact, and how the global system keeps shifting.

This Arab British Fellowship Training Academy course introduces the major schools of thought that have shaped the field – realism, liberalism and constructivism, among others – and traces the philosophical and political context each one emerged from. Participants also see how these ideas continue to shape foreign policy choices and the strategic thinking of states today.

Who Should Attend?

• Professionals working in ministries of foreign affairs and diplomatic institutions seeking to strengthen their knowledge of political theories in international relations.
• Researchers and academics in the fields of political science and international relations.
• Staff members of strategic studies centres and political research institutions.
• Postgraduate students specialising in political science and international relations.

Knowledge and Benefits:

After completing the programme, participants will be able to master the following:

• Understand the fundamental concepts underlying political theories in international relations.
• Explain the intellectual and historical background behind the emergence of different theoretical schools.
• Clarify the major differences between key theoretical approaches in international relations.
• Highlight the role of political theories in interpreting the behaviour of states within the international system.
• Build a solid knowledge base for analysing international issues from a theoretical perspective.

Module 1: What Is Theory, and Why It Matters in International Relations

• Definition of political theory and its role in the social sciences.
• The relationship between theory and international political analysis, and the importance of theoretical frameworks.
• The emergence of international relations within modern political thought, and the historical and intellectual factors behind its development as an academic field.

Module 2: Realism – Power and National Interest

• Philosophical roots of realism, and the concepts of power and national interest in realist theory.
• Realist perspectives on the nature of the international system.
• Classical realism and its core principles, structural realism, and the evolution of realist thought in contemporary studies.

Module 3: Liberalism – Cooperation and International Institutions

• Philosophical foundations of liberalism, and the concept of international cooperation in liberal theory.
• The role of international institutions in relations between states.
• Classical liberalism, neoliberal institutionalism, and economic liberalism and its influence on relations among states.

Module 4: Constructivism and Critical Perspectives

• The concepts of identity and ideas in explaining international relations, and the role of social norms in shaping state behaviour.
• Differences between constructivism and traditional theoretical schools.
• Intellectual foundations of critical theories, postmodern perspectives, and their contributions to international relations studies.

Module 5: Applying Theory to Today's World

• Intellectual developments in modern theoretical approaches, and the impact of globalisation on political theories of international relations.
• Emerging perspectives in the study of relations between states.
• The relationship between theory and foreign policy formulation, and how theories help interpret current international transformations.
• The importance of theoretical diversity in the study of international relations.