Since the dawn of civilization man has been raising questions over any imaginable topic. "We have no more questions left to ask; we have looked for questions in the darkest corners and on the wildest peaks. We have found all the questions that can be found. It is past time we gave up looking for questions and began looking for answers " "G. K. Chesterton. As to the study of international relations, where and how does one begin this journey for answers? Kenneth Waltz answered the first portion of the question by breaking down the perspectives into three levels of analysis: individual, national-state, and the international system. As to the latter, practitioners approach these study concentrations with many arguments: historical, philosophical, economical, anthropological, psychological, statistical, and the list goes on. The variety of techniques in which academics have at their disposal are utilized for the objective of gaining a clear and certain perception of the truth for the end of implementing that knowledge to wisely achieve the full potential of man, peace, a state where happiness can be attained. The purpose of these pages, with the spirit of brevity, is to identify a few uncertain assumptions and arguments of these procedures.
Some foreign affairs specialists have sided with an argument that blames the choices of individuals as the driving force in foreign affairs. Take Adolf Hitler for example, or even Joseph Stalin whose actions unmistakably contributed to the Cold War. Yet, does this level of analysis, limited by a psychological approach, contributes significantly to documented knowledge as some have held true? This line of thought has an extreme simplicity. United States founding father John Adams believed if the leaders of a nation behave corruptly, the reason is that the constituency tolerates immoral behavior. There are certainly those that are more responsible than others, but logically speaking, the strongest man in the world can be overcome by a band of men as Thomas Hobbes argued in his work, Leviathan.
