To understand the major contribution of the SBS framework, one must understand
a bit about the trajectory of IR theory since the end ofWorld War
II. Generally speaking, realism and scientism combined after 1945 in a potent
mix that sought to uncover generalizable laws about state behavior. Realism
emphasized the nation-state as the preferred unit of analysis, noting
the overriding primacy ofstate self-interest in power as a motivation for state
behavior, and stating a firm commitment to exploring international relations
as it is, not as it should be. Scientism provided a second commitment to
careful empirical investigation of phenomena, entailing data collection, creation
of formal models (often statistical or mathematical in nature), and falsifiability
of resulting models. As the state was the unit of analysis, its
behavior was seen as best comprehended in the context of the system of
states in which it found itself Distribution of capabilities across states was
the primary determinant of behavior within any given system.