Neoclassical realism is a theory of international relations and an approach to foreign policy analysis.
There are four variations of a state's balancing behavior: According to Nicholas Ross Smith of University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Neoclassical realism has primarily been criticized for its "apparent ontological and epistemological incoherence".
"[3] According to Stephen Walt of the Kennedy School at Harvard University, one of the chief flaws in Neoclassical realism is that it "tends to incorporate domestic variables in an ad hoc manner, and its proponents have yet to identify when these variables have greater or lesser influence".
[4] Neoclassical realism has been used to explain a number of puzzling foreign policy cases, such as the volatility in South Korea-Japan relations,[5] Fascist Italy's foreign policy,[6] Slobodan Milosevic's decision-making during the 1999 Kosovo crisis,[7] the occurrence of the Cod Wars between Iceland and the United Kingdom,[8] and Iran's foreign policy choices after the American invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
[10] Persons mentioned as neoclassical realists, and the year of the release of the work associated with this classification include:[11]