Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

  • Understand the causes of war.
  • Explain why anarchy is often assumed to be the underlying dynamic of international politics.
  • Describe how the experiences of World War I led to the rise of idealism.
  • Identify three key assumptions on which realist theories of war are based.
  • Define alternate theories to realism, including constructivism and Marxism.