Essay from the year 2008 in the subject Politics - International Politics - General and Theories, grade: 1,0, Free University of Berlin (Center for Global Politics), course: International Relations Theory, language: English, abstract: Rationalist approaches have definitely contributed very valuable perspectives on different topics. But this school also mirrors some shortcomings - in particular with regard to the profoundly changed world order since the end of Cold War that gave among others rise to new powerful actors and novel issues. Our world can be seen through different lenses, and it depends on the prevailing view, which theory should be applied best and most appropriately (see also Mingst 2004, p. 80). If the pros or rather the cons of rationalist paradigms outweigh hinges therefore also largely on the question that one asks about a certain phenomenon.