Krytyczna analiza wybranych aspektów teorii polityki międzynarodowej Kennetha Waltza

Abstrakt

The critical analysis of selected aspects of Kenneth Waltz’s theory of international politics

Kenneth Waltz is one of the most important thinkers in the field of international relations, and his structural theory of international politics is a focal point of an intense debate on the nature of interstate relations. Nevertheless, Waltz theory rises a lot of concern and is a source of controversy. In our paper, we focus on few crucial issues, namely the role of the theory and the distinctiveness of international politics, the nature of international system and international anarchy, its influence on the behavior of states, and the problem of change in international system. Taking a closer look at these concepts, we try to critically examine the possible shortcomings of Waltzian theory. However, the goal of the paper is not to reject the theory itself, rather to evaluate the controversies behind it.