The Constructivist Challenge to Structural Realism: A Review Essay

Abstract

Dale Copeland of the University of Virginia reviews Alexander Wendt's book, Social Theory of International Politics. Copeland criticizes Wendt's central claim—that states' discursive social practices create a shared culture that determines whether the international system is conflictual or peaceful—for its failure to consider a critical aspect of the realist worldview: the influence of uncertainty on state behavior.