``War or Peace"?: A Critical examination in International Political Economy

Abstract

Le probleme du conflit dans les relations interetatiques a donne lieu a un debat important en Economie Politique Internationale. Lecole neoliberale, sappuyant sur la theorie des gains absolus, a pris position pour la preeminence de la cooperation entre les Etats, alors que les theoriciens neorealistes, se fondant sur le concept de gain relatif, ont predit une tendance au conflit (sans que celui-ci se limite a la guerre). Une analyse critique de ces theories a partir des concepts fondamentaux de lecole autrichienne (incertitude, subjectivisme, vigilance de lentrepreneur) permet de montrer que les theories neoliberales et neorealistes sont trop optimistes quant a la qualite de leur prediction. Cet article conteste en particulier le fort degre de generalite que les theories des deux ecoles pretendent atteindre. Il faut donc soit redefinir la notion de generalite, soit admettre une large indetermination dans la tendance des relations interetatiques, soit prendre un autre chemin theorique pour resoudre la problematique.Conflict in the inter-state relations gave rise to an important discussion in International Political Economy. The so-called neo-liberal school, leaning on the theory of absolute earnings, supported the thesis of cooperation between the States, while neo-realists theory is based on the concept of relative earnings and push forward the trend of conflict (though not necessarily war). A critical examination of these theories using the fundamental concepts of the Austrian School (uncertainty, subjectivism, entrepreneurs alertness) is able to show that the neo- liberal and the neo-realist theories are too much optimistic with regard to their predictive nature. The latter do not achieve the generality they pretend to have. The trend of the interstates relations should be admitedly indeterminate unless an alternative theoretical way is taken to solve the issue.