first contact is trending, and therefore it might be wise to remind you all that at least realist IR suggests that contact at this point in history with an alien species capable of interstellar travel would unequivocally and unavoidably result in the destruction of the human race

I mean I personally believe realist IR is a crock of shit but that will not stop me from spooking you out

I'm a constructivist, except in the regard that I'm also a poststructuralist and think IR theories are a very fun but ultimately entirely bullshit way of playing 4D chess with your brain.

IR is the only field of political science (don't @ me with how it's its own social science, it isn't) where social scientists are still trying to provide basically ontological explanations for how things work, and they really should just stop and accept there are no rules.