Analysis and criticism of Fareed Zakaria's state-centered realism theory, Emphasizing its study in Iran

Realist theories in international relations have always had a special and focal position, and many thinkers and researchers have elaborated their intellectual foundations within the framework of realist assumptions. The realist theories of international relations can be divided into different categories from different perspectives, including the modern/classical and defensive/offensive categories. Each of the thinkers of realism in international relations have sought to present theories that have acceptable explanatory power and predictability, and at the same time have basic and coherent requirements, so that the name of theory can be given to it. In this regard, in a book entitled "From Wealth to Power: The Unusual Origins of America's World Role", Farid Zakaria has explained the basics and presented his theory under the title of "state-centered realism", which, in criticizing defensive realism, has explained the theoretical explanation of America's foreign policy and how to increase its power. and the interests of this country in the period of 1865-1908. Accordingly, in this article, we seek to explain and analyze the basics of this theory, as well as state its flaws based on the concepts contained in it. The basic questions of this research are as follows: First, what has this theory brought to the realist school of international relations? And secondly, what defects does it have? The research method is descriptive-analytical with emphasis on the theoretical concepts found in the mentioned book.