Walt, Stephen. "Theory and Policy in International Relations: Some Personal Reflections". Yale Journal of International Affairs, Vol.2, No.7 (2012): 33-43.

Walt, Stephen. "Theory and Policy in International Relations: Some Personal Reflections". Yale Journal of International Affairs, Vol.2, No.7 (2012): 33-43.

• "Former policy makers claim that academic scholarship is either academic or irrelevant ... locked with a circle of esoteric scholarly discussion" (33).
• Much of the distance between theory and policy comes from the general nature of IR theory. Policy-makers are not nearly as interested in whether something generally happens than they are with whether an event will occur a particular time or not (38).
• A good theory should be logically consistent, explain complex phenomenon, match empirical evidence, and stated clearly and as simply as possible (36).
• Some types of theories, especially Realism, help states avoid the stereotyping and chauvinistic assumptions that often drive popular politics, such as demonizing enemies and assuming the moral high ground (37).