ABSTRACT
Inside the realist paradigm of International Relations (IR), the various approaches to the study of war can be categorized due to their respective level of analysis, that is, where the theories identify the causal variable for the phenomenon to be explained: the individual, the state, or the system level. Based on the findings of the theoretical survey, and by comparing James Fearon's more sophisticated approach with Classical Realism, Structural Realism, and Offensive Neorealism, this chapter outlines several requirements for an explanatory model capable of comprehensively rationalizing the occurrence of war in general, and explaining the four cases of China's use of force in foreign affairs in particular. The formulation of these requirements allows explaining and justifying choice of Ned Lebow's Cultural Theory of International Relations as the theoretical framework that will guide empirical analysis. Following his Greek predecessors, Lebow posits that all human behavior can be fundamentally traced back to four motives: appetite, spirit, fear, and reason.
