Date of Completion
5-15-2026
Degree Type
Honors Thesis
Discipline
Political Science (POLS)
First Advisor
Dr. Jennifer Ramos
Abstract
This paper explores a thought experiment regarding the international system's nature and its potential for improvement and reconstruction. It is grounded in two inquiries: (1) how state dynamics influence actors in an interconnected international system, and (2) whether hegemony and realism, which foster combative dynamics in international anarchy, can be transcended for more productive relations. The realist foundation of international relations prioritizes state security over individual security, shaping even the most human-centered neoliberal institutions like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. The rise of far-right populism in the Western world has led to many state-created institutions failing to effectively uphold human rights. Humanitarian issues and nations such as newly recognized Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan are increasingly sidelined by hegemonic dynamics within these institutions. These dynamics are rooted in the realist ideology that underpins the international system and inhibits human flourishing and survival. This paper proposes a shift toward a more humanistic-communal approach to geopolitics, aiming to protect human rights even when state actors violate human dignity to gain an advantage in the anarchic international system.
Recommended Citation
Wallace Myers, Jonathan and Ramos, Jennifer, "Radical-Humanistic Institutionalism IR Theory—Reimagining Neoliberal Institutions to Improve the Upholding of Human Dignity and Flourishing" (2026). Honors Thesis. 605.
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/honors-thesis/605
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