Tourism, Development and International Studies - Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues - page 409

Theories of International Studies
One of the main purposes of this chapter is to bring to light various theo-
ries of international studies. 'International studies offers an integrative, com-
prehensive and interdisciplinary approach to issues of global importance'
(Anderson et al. , 2013: 3). This is wider in scope than the study of interna-
tional relations that traditionally focused on the relationships between states.
Importantly, international studies has come under criticism for being Western-
centric and for speaking at all times in a language of universals (Lizée, 2011).
Lizée (2011) argues that global politics will be increasingly shaped by the
non-Western world and, therefore, international studies needs to adapt. The
theories outlined here represent some of the more traditional theories associ-
ated with the discipline, such as realism and liberalism, as well as more recent
critical theories, such as post-structuralism. This section begins with an over-
view of some of the main theories as they apply to international studies as
identified in part by Mansbach and Raffert (2008), including realism, liberal-
ism, cosmopolitanism, Marxism, constructivism, post-structuralism, post-
colonialism, feminism and globalisation. Global events examined under
different theoretical perspectives will inevitably generate different perspec-
tives/explanations of these events and generate a better understanding of chal-
lenges and barriers for tourism as an agent of development. The key elements
of the various theories are outlined below. However, it is important to note
that within each theory there are often various dimensions, variants and per-
spectives, although it is beyond the scope of this chapter to consider each
theory in extensive detail. These selected theories cross multiple disciplines
which are addressed later in the chapter. Brief examples and concepts linking
tourism and global events/issues are presented in relation to the theories below,
though it is important to note that the individual examples can actually be
analysed under multiple theories.
Realism
The study of realism, with an emphasis on security, competition and war
among great powers, has dominated the study of international relations for
over 50 years (Mearsheimer, 2002). Davenport (2011) suggests realism is the
core theory of international relations. Baylis et al. (2011) identify the main
component of realism as the way in which the world 'really is', suggesting that
the world is not necessarily a very pleasant place as human nature is basically
fixed and selfish. The main actors are states, and world politics is a struggle
for power between states to maximise national interests. World politics is
about bargaining and alliances through diplomacy, but military force can be
used to implement foreign policies. All international actors, such as multina-
tional corporations and international organisations, have to work within the
state framework. More recently, a variant of realism - neo-realism - emerged.