Some critical reflections on Charles Glaser and the neo-neo synthesis

• Main Author: Leonardo Cesar Souza Ramos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais 2013-12-01
• Series: Estudos Internacionais
• Subjects: Metatheory; Neo-neo synthesis; Historical Ontology
• Online Access: http://periodicos.pucminas.br/index.php/estudosinternacionais/article/view/6319

Recently there were some debates concerning Charles Glaser’s new book – Rational Theory of International Politics: the logic of competition and cooperation. In spite of the pertinence of such debates, some points concerning how Glaser’s argument relates itself with IR field were underdeveloped. Hence, the aim of this essay is to review the theoretical debates in US academy since the “neo-neo synthesis”, starting from Glaser’s book. In this sense, rescuing Bell’s argument for a historical ontology as well as an historical meta-epistemology of the IR field, this essay does not attempt to evaluate empirically the theories and research programs involved in such debates, neither develop an exhaustive presentation of Glaser’s theoretical arguments and their heuristic; in fact, the purpose is to develop some metatheoretical considerations concerning such debates and some of its consequences to the IR field – and to the US academy in particular.