Social International Politics

Constructivism emphasizes the importance of ideas in the “subjective interaction” between the materialisms and ideals of international politics. The value of the former comes from the meanings of the latter, which are variable meanings and not fixed. Therefore, what explains the transformation of material things from one meaning to another is the change of ideas, rules, standards and values in the international system, which enters into a relationship of “mutual formation” with its main units, that is, the states, and affects their local structure, leading to a change in their perceptions, thus contributing to the formation of the identities of the states in a way that directs their interests. Its behavior is determined so that this behavior comes as a result of the subjective interaction between the structure of the state and the structure of the international system. Thus, states form the system and the system forms states. Therefore, constructivism, specifically according to its main theorist, “Alexander Wendt,” revolves around the concept of identity, which is essentially “a characteristic rooted in the state’s understanding of itself in a certain image and the recognition of that image by other states.” Hence, identity expresses the existence of two types of ideas, those embraced by the self and those that The other embraces it. Because identity expresses the ideas of the self, it is a “local culture,” and because it expresses the ideas of the other, it is an “external culture.” And because it is based on the other’s recognition of it, it is formed through interaction between the self and the other. Thus, identity is a characteristic rooted in the self that is formed by the interaction of local cultures. With other external ones. Wendt goes on to explain that identities indicate who that state is, so they are convictions, while interests indicate what that state wants, so they are desires. States cannot know what they want before they know who they are, so interests arise as a result of identities. As long as identities are culturally shaped, interests will also be culturally shaped. Because identities are always forming, the possibility of them changing is possible hierarchically or collisionally, which means changing interests and policies to suit the international system without disturbing the identities and interests of states.