Compare and assess the three alternative theoretical approaches to international relations (realism, insitutionalism, state-society approaches) in terms of their abilty to explain outcomes in the issue-areas of war and peace, and international trade.

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Realism , Institutionalism , and State-Society approaches in International Relations

Realism

In the theory of international relations , realism is among the dominant schools of thought in the discipline of international relations Political realism or realism prioritizes social reconstructions , moral concerns , security above ideology and national interest . According to the theory of realism , humans are not intrinsically kind-hearted but rather egocentric and competitive . The point of view of the theory looks upon the nature of humans as self-centred and conflictive except when they

experience suitable conditions which may support coexistence . In addition to this , the theory holds that states naturally exhibit aggressiveness and security obsession and expansion of territories is only limited by powers which are opposing (Donnelly , 2000 ,

. 15 . The build-up of aggressiveness conversely causes security dilemma , in which case one 's security increase may result in to greater instability because of the fact that opponents respond by developing own arms Security may therefore be referred to a zero-sum game because parties are only able to make relative gains

Institutionalism

In the theory of international relations , institutionalism consists of various international relations theories . These include neo-functionalist and functionalist approaches , theory of state cartel and regime theory , which focus on international system structures , which explain the importance of various institutions to serve various purposes of nations . They may be explained as follows

For instance , functionalist theory brings out the need for conflicting states cooperation which should be facilitated by functional agencies This is aimed at peace promotion...