The influence of these intellectual constructs extends far beyond university classrooms and tenure committees. Idealism illuminates the changing norms of sovereignty, human rights, and international justice, as well as the increased potency of religious ideas in politics. Liberalism highlights the rising number of democracies and the turbulence of democratic transitions. Realism focuses on the shifting distribution of power among states. He sketched out three dominant approaches: realism, liberalism, and an updated form of idealism called “constructivism.” Walt argued that these theories shape both public discourse and policy analysis. Walt published a much-cited survey of the field in these pages (“ One World, Many Theories,” Spring 1998). Six years ago, political scientist Stephen M. Has this approach succeeded? Does international relations theory still have something to tell policymakers? Instead of radical change, academia has adjusted existing theories to meet new realities. But did September 11 signal a failure of theory on par with the failures of intelligence and policy? Familiar theories about how the world works still dominate academic debate. The intelligence community faces radical restructuring the military has made a sharp pivot to face a new enemy and a vast new federal agency has blossomed to coordinate homeland security. government has endured several painful rounds of scrutiny as it tries to figure out what went wrong on Sept.

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