Power remains central to International Relations (IR) theory, yet scholars lack consensus on its definition. This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the concept of power in International Relations (IR), addressing one of the disciplines most fundamental yet contested ideas.
This book explores the historical and theoretical origins of major power conceptualizationsspanning realism, liberalism, constructivism, and post-structuralismand applies them to a real-world crisis, the 1998 Turkish-Syrian October Crisis. The book poses three critical questions: What accounts for the multitude of power conceptualizations in International Relations? How has a particular conceptualization of power developed its specific meaning? What are the primary characteristics and focal points of the existing power conceptualizations in the discipline?
This book provides a vital resource for graduate students and researchers navigating the complexities of IR theory and offers valuable tools for applying theory to real-world phenomena.
1.1. The State of Power in the Discipline.- 1.2. Organization of the
Study and Questions.- 1.3. Methods of Inquiry.-
2. Limitations Within Current
State of the Literature.- 2.1. Power as an Ambiguous Concept.- 2.1.1. Power
Over or Power To.- 2.1.2. Power or Influence.- 2.1.3. Zero-Sum or
Non-Zero Sum.- 2.2. Traditions on Political Power.- 2.3. Power in
International Relations Limited to Weberian Tradition .- 2.4. Power in
International Relations Beyond Weberian Tradition.- 2.5. Remarks.-
3.
Historicization of Power in the Discipline.- 3.1. Power in Positivist
Approaches.- 3.1.1. Inauguration: The Possessional Power.- 3.1.2. The Rise of
Relational Power on Criticisms to the Possessional Power.- 3.1.2.1.
Methodological Criticism.- 3.1.2.2. Practical Limitations.- 3.1.2.3. The
Relational Power as a Solution.- 3.1.2.4. International Political Economy
Aspect of Relational Power: Asymmetric Interdependence.- 3.1.3. The Need for
a New Face: The North-South Debate and the Institutional Power.- 3.1.4.
Shared Characteristics of Positivist Power Conceptualizations.- 3.2. Power in
Post-Positivist Approaches.- 3.2.1. International Relations Theory in the
Post-Cold War Era.- 3.2.1.1. The End of Cold War.- 3.2.1.2. The Third Great
Debate.- 3.2.2. Power in Positivism and Post-Positivism: Epistemological
and Ontological Differences.- 3.2.3. Critical Utilization of Power: The
Structural Power.- 3.2.4. Discursive Turn: The Poststructural Power.- 3.3.
Traditions on Power and Concept(s) of Power in International Relations.- 3.4.
Remarks.-
4. Comparison of Power Concepts on A Case: The 1998 October Crisis
between Türkiye and Syria.- 4.1. The Case.- 4.2. Possessional Power Analysis
of the Case.- 4.3. Relational Power Analysis of the Case.- 4.4. Institutional
Power Analysis of the Case.- 4.5. Structural Power Analysis of the Case.-
4.6. Poststructural Power Analysis of the Case.- 4.7. Comparison: Strengths
and Weaknesses of Power Concepts.- 5.Conclusion.
Assoc. Prof. Bura Sar is an academic specializing in International Relations, with a focus on the concept of power and Turkish foreign policy. He earned his bachelor's degree in International Relations from Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) in 2010, his master's degree in Middle East and African Studies from Gazi University in 2012, and his Ph.D. in International Relations from Bilkent University in 2018. Dr. Sar currently serves as an Associate Professor at Mersin University's Department of International Relations. He has previously held positions at Gazi University and the Turkish National Police Academy's Institute of Security Sciences. His academic contributions include numerous articles: -Sar, Bura (2023) Security Aspect of the Integration in Turkic World under the Organization of Turkic States, Insight Turkey, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 139-161. (ESCI) -Sar, Bura (2023) From Prescription to Treatment: The Disciplinary (under)Achievement of IR in Turkey, All Azimuth: Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 261-280. (ESCI) -Sar, Bura (2022) Culture of Insecurity and Production of Foreign Policy Crises: Turkeys Sèvres Syndrome and Syrian Support for the PKK during the 1998 October Crisis, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 138-157. (SSCI) -Sar, Bura (2020) Not only Relational but also Structural: Revisiting the Resolution of the 1998 October Crisis through Elements of Structural Power, Journal of Political Power, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 106-122. (SSCI) -Sar, Bura (2019) Making Sense of the New Episode of Great Power Rivalry in Africa through Neorealist Lenses: Sino-US Competition, Meridiano 47- Journal of Global Studies, Vol. 20, pp. 1-16. (ESCI) -Sar, Bura (2018) The Strategic Interaction between Turkey and Iran in the Syrian Crisis: A Game Theoretical Analysis of the Time Frame from 2011 to 2015, Bilig, No. 87, pp. 203-227. (SSCI)
