Pigs can’t fly, or can they? Ontology, scientific realism and the metaphysics ofpresence in international relations

In recent debates in IR theory a specific trend has evolved which advocates arenewed focus on matters of ontology as a way to overcome or at least to reconceptualisethe divides within the field of IR that we encounter especially after the considerablewidening of scope after the end of the Cold War. Responding to these claims the article setsout to provide a closer look at the different arguments presented for a renewed concern withontology and its ramifications. With this task in mind, three particular complexes will beaddressed. First, we have to identify the central claims of these new ontological approachesand assess them in respect to coherence and analytic rigour. Secondly, then, we will proceedwith identifying the underlying reasons for their shortcomings which as will be shown liewith the misguided concept of ontology. If this conception is properly reworked, can indeedbring new light into otherwise protracted or even deadlocked debates