ABSTRACT
IR theory has been beset with ‘paradigm wars’ for many decades, pitting alleged ‘realists’ focussing on nation-states against ‘constructivists’ pointing to the role of norms and international organisations beyond the nation-state in IR. In the debate, and even in the work of many historians, the role of individuals has been sadly neglected, with a suspicion that even discussing individuals at all is in some sense unacceptable in academic analysis. Individuals play virtually no role in contemporary IR theory, with their introduction often seeming both random and awkward. TSS can right this imbalance, and the chapter aims to show not only how it has come about – including in Marxist IR theory – but how TSS can reintroduce individuals into IR theory, to the benefit of explanations of events overall and the sophistication of IR analysis, for example into finally solving the problem of the role of individuals in shaping the destiny of entire countries and IR.
