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Constructivism And Realism Paradigm Analysis

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The three main paradigms of international relations are liberalism, realism, and constructivism. In regards to a zombie outbreak, each paradigm will predict a different outcome for survival and cooperation. A liberal would argue that zombies represent a classic problem of dying and then coming to life in an undead state and trying to make others to do so as well. Undoubtedly, the zombie dispute would cross borderlines and affect all states, so the benefits from policy coordination would be massive. A realist would argue that international politics would not be remarkably affected, at its main, with the introduction of zombies into the mix of politics. Constructivism argues society is what we perceive it to be, so zombies are what we make of …show more content…

Intriguingly, as far as realists are worried about, the production of the undead into international politics would leave international relations “largely unaffected” (Drezner 42). Since realists profoundly argue that the distribution of power in the international system regulates a state behavior, a theoretical plague of zombies is no different from other more orthodox threats to state security like terrorism or nuclear proliferation. States will simply continue to go about seeking power and accruing resources in order to secure themselves from this new threat. Furthermore, as Drezner points out, “Some realist would go further, arguing that, in the end, human-zombie alliances of convenience would be just as likely to emerge as human-human alliances” (Drezner 47). It is very certain a security dilemma would emerge from targeting a zombie state. The essentials of world politics would remain unchanged since both zombie states and human states would participate in tactical opportunities to advance their interest in the anarchical system. Indeed, it might even be strategically wise to fashion temporary alliances with some zombie states as a way to balance against human states that try to exploit the situation with some kind of idealistic power grab. So, according to realism, the introduction of zombies would not fundamentally alter the character of world …show more content…

More humans will come to one with the zombie way of undead life, as it were, the remaining humans would feel social pressure to conform and eventually adopt the norms and practices of zombies — kind of like towards the end of Shaun of the Dead. In the end, even humans would adopt zombie-constructed perceptions of right and wrong, and when it’s appropriate to grunt in a menacing manner. Constructivism emphasizes the significance of beliefs, values, norms, and identities in constructing social reality and ultimately shaping a state’s behavior. As one scholar compressed the constructivist paradigm, “anarchy is what states make of it” (Wendt 391). Transnational norms, relationships, and identities are shaped over time as states interact with one another; these identities and norms, in turn, mutually construct state behavior. As opposed to realists, who argue that anarchy unavoidably leads to competition for power and conflict, constructivists maintain that the lack of central authority in worldwide politics has no inherent qualities that enact upon states a specific pattern of behavior. Therefore, constructivism opens the door to a wide variety of policy responses to a particular challenge. Applying the constructivist perspective to the fictional zombie apocalypse scenario, Drezner contends that “the existential peril posed by zombies could be the exogenous shock needed to break down

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