| dc.description.abstract | This report presents a theoretical framework for studying international politics in the euro-atlantic area after the end of the cold war. A centrepiece in this analysis is a so-called ‘dual model’ consisting of a ‘centre-periphery’ relationship between a centre with a high degree of order and co-operation, and a ‘periphery’ characterised by different forms of chaos challenges as ethnic rivalries, economic and political mismanagement etc. On the other hand this ‘dual model’ also includes the traditional east-west relationship where Russia could be said to lie in the twilight zone between being part of the Western periphery on the one hand, and on the other hand constitute an alternative centre building upon original Russian traditions.
In this analysis this ‘dual model’ is also seen in the perspective of recent research in political science where the present insight is drawn upon knowledge from the social constructivist school as well as realist and liberalist traditions in political science. A very important debate in political science during the last decade is the so-called ‘agent-structure’ debate. An important aim of this study has therefore been to link the ‘dual model’ to the mainstream political science discourses on the study of international relations. | en_GB |