Arguably, the catalyst for the sear

Arguably, the catalyst for the search for alternatives to the states systemic
project was not a theoretical event but an actual one: the abrupt end of the
Cold War. This dynamic and unforeseen process undermined the belief in
system stability, its robustness, and not the least its predictability, as the collapse
of the Soviet Union went largely unpredicted by IR theory. No matter
how one attempted to rationalize that event in terms of states, power, and
system constraints, a key element seemed missing: ideas (see the discussion
in Brooks and -Wohlforth, 2002; English 2002; Brooks and Wohlforth,
2000-2001). A new wave of theorizing, generally called constructivism, attempted
to show that ideational factors could alter perceptions of power and
system structure. As one influential article phrased it, ''Anarchy is What
States Make of It". Yet, oddly, much of this challenge came
from scholars who still clung to the primacy ofstates as actors-scholars that
were arguably still within the states systemic project. The theoretical mix
simply changed to: states, power, system structure, and ideas.