The realist and liberal theories of international relations.

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Compare the realist and liberal theories of international relations. Can liberal theory compensate for the realist bias characterizing the study of the Middle East and North Africa?

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The realist and liberal theories of international relations

Realism is an approach to the study and practice of international politics. It emphasizes the role of the national-state and makes a broad assumption that all nation-states are motivated by national interests, or at best, national interests disguised as moral concerns. With the proper institutions and diplomacy, liberals believe that states can work together to maximize prosperity and minimize conflict. Liberalism is one of the main schools of international relations theory. Liberal international relations theory elaborates the basic insight that state-society relations, the relationship between governments and the domestic and transnational social context in which they are embedded, are the most fundamental determinant of state behavior in world politics.

The agents of this change manifest themselves in the forms of Krogstad and Sandip who are representatives of the external world. Each of the men transgress the boundary between the domestic household and the world outside it. Sandip’s introduction to Bimala is a markedly intrusive one as he takes up a place in her home and complicates her marriage to Nikhil “it vexed me to think that he was imposing on my husband.” (30). It is at this point that Bimala’s concerns surrounding her role as a dutiful wife begin to shift. This is because she becomes conscious of, and participates within, the ideological debate occurring in Bengal. Sandip’s nationalist ideology is infectious, forcing Bimala to turn her gaze outwards, away from her household. This change can be traced in her newfound concerns surrounding how Sandip perceives her “would Sandip Babu find the Shakti of the motherland manifest in me? Or would he simply take me to be an ordinary, domestic woman?” (33). Indeed, Bimala’s emphasis on the monotony associated with being housewife shows a noticeable departure from her earlier contentment within the role. It is logical to infer that the boundaries between Bimala and the outside world have been breached, pushing her towards engagement with the explosive politics of her country. Rahul Rao expands on Bimala’s newfound position by stating that her complicated relationship with Nikhil and Sandip is “a metaphor for the relative attractions of cosmopolitanism and nationalism as seen from the vantage point of a nation attempting to wrest its freedom from imperial rule.” (112). Indeed, Rao’s point is significant in highlighting the importance ascribed to Bimala within the context of the ideological debate. Where she was previously disconnected with the space beyond her household, she now assumes the role of Bengal itself and struggles to decide on the means of her liberation. It is crucial to remark upon the rapid and uncompromising nature of this change. This is because it illuminates the fragility of the domestic space and its propensity for invasion “We had no time to think about it, or understand, what had happened, or what was about to happen.” ( Tagore 25). However, Rao’s suggestion that Tagore’s text is solely concerned with reflecting the political situation in Bengal is a limited one. This is illuminated by Saha Poulomi’s stance that Tagore’s worldly experience led him to internalis

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