36 International Relations Theory of War
THE TRANSHISTORICAL PRINCIPLES
According to the international relations theory of war, since the formation
of the modern international system after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648
to this day, there are always two transhistorical order principles in the
system. The anarchy principle, in the sense of the absence of a common
regime, spurs the players, particularly the polar powers constituting the
system, to tend always to expansion and form hegemonies that they head.
The homeostasis principle, in the sense of a system resisting change, dictates
to the players, primarily the polar powers, to tend always to stagnation and
to maintain the status quo ante bellum.
The international system encourages the players constituting it to act in
manners that stem from the two transhistorical order principles. I shall
therefore turn to examining these two order principles and their effect on
multipolar, bipolar, and unipolar systems in detail.
ANARCHY AND THE TENDENCY TO HEGEMONIES
Anarchy, the first transhistorical order principle, in the sense of an
absence of a sovereign rather than an absence of order, has always existed
in the modern international system, since being formed after the Peace of
Westphalia in 1648 to date.^4 Anarchy leads the international system to be
a self-help system, which lacks a provider of security, or another model of
political authority, in international politics. Owing to this, the international
system will spur the players constituting it, primarily the polar powers, to
have an intrinsic aspiration to revisionism. The purpose of revisionism is
maximization of power for achieving hegemonic standing in the system.
This standing gives its possessor great security because no challenging
element may pose a significant existential threat to the hegemon.
The rest of the chapter consists of two key parts. The first part will dis-
cuss the term anarchy in the theoretical research of international relations,
presenting the way in which constructivism, neoliberalism, and neoreal-
ism describe the influence of anarchy on the key players operating in the
international system. The second part will be more focused presentation
of the manner in which three of the key theories in the field, constructiv-
ism, neoliberalism, and realism, relate to anarchy and its effects on inter-
national relations.
Anarchy in the Theoretical Research of International RelationsIn recent decades, the anarchy assumption has regained its position as a
central assumption in international relations theory.^5 Both neorealist and
neoliberal theorists have pointed out the anarchic nature of the interna-
tional system as the most prominent, central, and important property in