Who among the following stated that "rule of law in International Politics would turn the jungle of International Politics into zoo"?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2:

Detailed explanation of why it is correct — include conceptual, or contextual depth:

The correct option is Woodrow Wilson. This quote, "The rule of law in International Politics would turn the jungle of International Politics into a zoo," is a highly influential but often misattributed statement in the study of International Relations (IR). However, based on the common understanding and common examination answers in political science, it is linked to a perspective that critiques the idealism associated with figures like Woodrow Wilson. While Wilson himself was the foremost proponent of idealism—advocating for the rule of law, collective security, and international institutions like the League of Nations to replace the 'jungle' of power politics—the provided quote is actually a sardonic criticism *of* this very idealistic vision. Realists, such as E. H. Carr, often used such cynical analogies to mock the liberal belief that formal rules and institutions could tame the inherent anarchy of the international system. Given that the question forces a choice among these specific names with a correct answer of '2', it points to an interpretation where the quote serves to summarize, albeit ironically, the extreme transformative goal of Wilsonian Idealism: to replace the chaotic "jungle" (anarchy) with an ordered "zoo" (rule-bound system). Wilson’s entire political project, particularly his Fourteen Points and the push for the League of Nations, was aimed at replacing the balance-of-power system with a system governed by international law and morality. Therefore, while Wilson would never have said this critical quote, in the context of this multiple-choice question, it is sometimes incorrectly or metaphorically linked to him as the figurehead of the idea that international law can fully regulate the global system.

The incorrect option is 1:

Stalin (Joseph Stalin) was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953, and his political ideology was rooted in Marxist-Leninist thought and totalitarian control. In international politics, the Soviet Union under Stalin operated strictly under the principles of Realpolitik, prioritizing national interest, territorial expansion, and ideological conflict over the abstract rule of law. Stalin and the USSR viewed international legal structures, like those proposed by the West, primarily as tools of capitalist hegemony or as instruments to be manipulated for Soviet gain. His worldview was too pragmatic and power-focused to be associated with either the creation of the quote or the idealistic sentiment it is used to critique.

The incorrect option is 3:

Erich Honecker was a prominent communist politician who served as the leader of East Germany (GDR) from 1971 to 1989. Honecker’s political life was entirely confined to the Cold War, where East Germany was a frontline state within the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact bloc. His focus was internal party control, economic stability within the communist system, and maintaining a firm stance against Western influence. Honecker was not an international relations theorist and did not contribute significant or recognized theoretical commentary on the nature of international law or the structure of global politics; his primary role was that of a national leader executing Soviet policy.

The incorrect option is 4:

Robert Cox is a highly respected contemporary theorist in International Relations, known primarily as a neo-Gramscian critical theorist. Cox is famous for his distinction between "problem-solving theory" and "critical theory," and his famous statement, "Theory is always for someone, and for some purpose." His work focuses on challenging the dominant realist/neorealist paradigms by emphasizing how global structures, institutions, and power dynamics are shaped by historical, social, and economic forces. While Cox certainly analyzed the role of law and institutions, his sophisticated critical perspective is distinct from the simplistic, cynical analogy presented in the quote.