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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Beyond IR theories: the case for national role conceptions
Author:Adigbuo, RichardISNI
Year:2007
Periodical:Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies
Volume:34
Issue:1
Pages:83-97
Language:English
Geographic terms:Nigeria
Namibia
Subjects:international relations
foreign policy
decolonization
political science
External link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02589340701336286
Abstract:There is no doubt that the theories of International Relations (IR) were developed primarily in response to Eurocentric interests. Until the end of the Cold War, Western analysts configured international politics from the lenses of what happened in Europe. The belief was that studying the Western experience is empirically sufficient to establish generalizations that are applicable to the Third World and in particular African countries. This means the mainstream IR theories - Realism, Liberal-idealism, Marxism, and lately Constructivism - have little to tell us about 80 percent of the world's population contained in about 140 States. This study explains the utility of national role conceptions as a more promising analytical tool in the study of foreign policy. It specifically uses role analysis to examine Nigeria's quest for a decolonized Southern Africa from 1975 to 1990, through a case study of Namibia. Nigeria's foreign policy is seen to conform to the policymakers' national role conceptions. These included that of active independent agent, defender of the faith, developer, regional protector and, in the case of Namibia, liberation supporter. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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