Alexander Wendt is arguably the most well-known academic to have contributed to the development of the constructivist perspective in the discipline. His constructivism focuses on how international actors construct their identities and interests. His contributions improved national identity research and proved the importance of identity formation in global politics. Zehfuss (2004) states that Wendt's goal is to demonstrate how the creation of the Self and its interactions with the environment shape social reality. Wendt emphasizes the significance of identities and the necessity of identities for actors to engage in social dynamics. These identities provide the framework for the development of their interests, which in turn verify the actor's identity.
Therefore, knowing who the players are—in this case, the States—is essential to comprehend what they do. Wendt (1992) explained that the behavior and power of States operate dialectically with people who are under attack or threatened in his well-known piece, "Anarchy is what states create of it: The Social Construction of Power Politics." Interactions between States are contingent on their environments since identities and interests are continuously processed. Neorealists use the concept of anarchy to explain how international politics are asymmetrical, but Wendt (1992) points out that it actually refers to the shared behavior and conflicts between countries and is dynamic. In other words, if one country behaves aggressively toward another, the victim is expected to respond defensively, forming the interests of both countries.
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