Revisiting the mainstream approaches of the theories of international relations

Abstract

The view that we have reached the end of the “grand debates” in International Relations (IR) is widespread among the majority of IR scholars. Today, we observe that the references to the great theoretical debates in the prominent journals of IR have significantly diminished and that the most relevant debates have been among the scholars belonging to the same school specifically over empirical studies rather than between theories/paradigms. This paper, by revealing the challenges generated by the “grand debates” and the discussions on whether or not there will a return to the “grand debates”, incorporates some ideas on the current status as well as the future of IR in Turkey and the world. Taking from this point, this paper has been prepared as an introductory article to this special issue which has been compiled in order to remind the readers on the mainstream theories of IR that have been subject to the “grand debates” and that will shape the future discussions on the state of the IR theory. © 2015, International Relations Council of Turkey. All Rights Reserved.