Paper 3 Global Politics · Comparative theory
Comparative theory - sentence stems
4 point and counter pairs - the opening lines that lock a balanced paragraph.
How to use these. Each pair is the opening line for a balanced paragraph - a Point and a Counter on the same theme. Read both aloud, cover one and recall it. Every paragraph carries both before its interim judgement.
Anarchy and self-help
Point - the case for
Realism's starting point - states pursue security and power in anarchy and cannot fully trust each other - explains recurring war, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Counter - the case against
But liberalism shows cooperation is durable through institutions, interdependence and democracy, which realism underrates.
What drives states
Point - the case for
Neo-realism (Waltz) roots behaviour in the structure of anarchy, predicting balancing against the strongest power - the Cold War and China's rise.
Counter - the case against
Constructivism replies that identities and ideas shape what states want: anarchy is what states make of it, not a fixed driver.
How much order
Point - the case for
The English School sees more order than realism admits - a society of states sharing norms, shown by coordinated sanctions punishing rule-breakers.
Counter - the case against
But realists argue such order collapses whenever a great power's vital interests are engaged.
Reading Ukraine
Point - the case for
Mearsheimer's realist reading blames NATO expansion for provoking a great power acting on security.
Counter - the case against
But liberal and constructivist readings stress Russian identity and the rejection of the post-1991 order, which realism cannot capture.