sideration those qualities we have come to categorize as 'feminine', traditional realist theory has ignored what may well be a fundamental aspect of human nature. Feminist theory questions the traditional Waltzian levels of analysis. They contend that the individual, the state and the international system are arbitrarily determined and are not discrete levels of analysis. They hold that they are, in fact, "mutually reinforcing constructs, each based on behaviors associated with hegemonic masculinity" (Tickner, 131). Feminists attack what some have termed "economic man" and "political man". These figures, constructed out of masculine characteristics, have been defined by autonomy, independence, power-over relations, and an instrumental notion of reality (Tickner, 131). These constructs have become an integral part of the traditional analysis of world politics. Feminists attempt to deconstruct these (traditionally) highly valued notions by contending that there are other human characteristics, such as the desire for community, interdependence, and cooperation that define human nature as much as the traditional. Some feminists argue that male-dominated foreign policy making marginalizes the importance of individuals and their families "in the name of an abstract conception of the 'national interest'" (True, 121). Christine Sylvester specifically attacks the traditional realist notions of rationality and the sovereign state as being undeniably gendered. She maintains that, "if man is rational-rationality is equated with men's behavior-and the social institutions he creates are also rational, then the state itself bears a male-masculine identity" (True, 229). Traditional Waltzian analysis has defined security through the utilization of power-over relationships, where the war and the use of force become essential to maintaining a secure state. Feminists theorize that the world could be a much better place if, instead of using the ...
