ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the study of international norms by suggesting several different perspectives and foundations for a much-needed dialogue on the normative dimension or dimensions of international politics. It examines the alternative approaches to international relations that partially overlap with Constructivism and might be equally effective in the empirical study of international norms, including international law and the Grotian approach to international relations and ethical approaches to international relations. The social Constructivist approach regards norms as crucial elements of society and the social construction of reality. Conventional structural-materialist theories, including Realism and especially neo-Realism, regard norms as the powerless product of interests, reflecting any given power distribution. International norms are based upon pre-existing cultural knowledge and institutions, including other norms. From an international-law /international-society perspective, as well as from a Constructivist viewpoint, norms can be embedded in and derived from pre-existing practices and customs.
