"Why don't you and I combine?" [Will Brehm, Week 4, Substantive]

Haas’ essay on regional integration proved taxing at best –lamentable at worst. The lists of generalizations did not define what regional integration is; rather, they merely displayed the flawed idea of empirically categorizing theories that do not have roots in hard science. (How can propositions be formed without having the possibility of being discredited by myriad events around the world?) Haas’ problem revolves around too many independent variables and the search for dependent variables: how are we to narrow our search down to truly define the regional integration theory the logic goes. There are too many events, though, that may not fit into a nice theory. (Haas does point out that regional integration theory cannot “fully meet any of [his] criteria,” suggesting that theory has flaws.) Alternatively, with hard science it’s easy to look at a theory and conclude one is the best theory, at least until proven otherwise. (Gravity is only a theory –but one that hasn’t been discredited by new findings.) Looking at the interaction of states leaves the opening for many theories to define one situation. That, I believe, is how theory works in the soft sciences. I suggest we just call each “theory” a new “lens.” This way when looking at particular events we can switch our lens to view the event differently, to bring out new, important factors missed earlier. Anyway, Haas suggests we need to keep working on defining regional integration (with computers!), leaving the interpretation open of what exactly it is.

I don’t think actors are concerned with defining regional integration; they just act within the system, influenced for various reasons. It is more of an evolution: actors see what happened before and try to change or copy the outcome according to what they define as their current target goal. So over time the evolution of norms and thinking has changed from power politics, balancing a multi-polar world, to a world where integration, the globalized world, seems more valuable. However, there are, of course, those actors who do no believe this. Evolution takes place but at different times. (This is the reason it is so hard to pin down a clear theory.) Why this evolution takes place would be a neat study.