Rational choice approach in the discipline of international relations: Theory, method, application

The increasing interest in international relations topics has led to the emergence of the methodological dimension of the studies carried out in the International Relations discipline, which is a very new academic discipline and which has a highly interdisciplinary character. Because of the fact that one of the two most important things that must be done for a new discipline is to determine the working areas of the discipline, while the other is to determine how these fields will be studied. Since the mid-twentieth century, the rational choice approach, which has been effective in the fields of economics, politics and international relations, has brought an important perspective on the discipline of International Relations. This approach, which allowed significant analysis of foreign policy and strategy during the Cold War, is still important in today's world, where positivist assumptions face serious criticism. However, this is an approach almost no political scientist studies on it in Turkey and there are very limited number of studies on this approach to read and understand it in Turkish language. This situation is an important deficiency in Turkish literature. For this reason, the aim of this study is to analyze the debates on methodology in International Relations discipline, to put forth the quality of rational choice practices in international relations and to try to discuss the place and the power of rational choice analysis in the discipline of International Relations. The thesis proposed by the study is that rational choice approach and models in International Relations discipline, which are almost never found in Turkish literature, are important for the discipline and effective in analyzing different theoretical and spatial studies. The studies that have been published in the international literature since the 1950s and are increasing day by day are the most important indicators. It is important for the development of the discipline and the students of the discipline. The fact that such studies take place also in Turkish literature, the approach is known by the members of the discipline in Turkey, is important for the development of the discipline and the students in the discipline in Turkey.