Introduction Constructivism emerged in 1989 as a possible replacement to the realist and liberal paradigms that had been dominant at the time. It had been introduced by Nicholas Greenwood Onuf. Soon, various theorists such as Wendt and Katzenstein popularized it within the realm of international relations (IR). Constructivism focuses on the meanings associated with material objects, as opposed to the objects themselves. Such a focus implies that the same object, say, a nuclear weapon, may carry diverse meanings in different countries. Constructivists maintain that reality is the product of social construction. As such, they [constructivists] attach greater importance on ‘norm’ development compared to their counterparts who ascribe to the realist and liberal paradigms. This paper elaborates on the various aspects that define constructivism as a major theory in international relations. The Main Factors that Helped to Bring Constructivism to the Forefront in the Study of International Relations Various scholars such as Wendt and Katzenstein played an important role in popularizing constructivism across the world. The scholars were determined to explore unvisited areas of theoretical and conceptual aspects of international relations. They believed that variables such as military power and international institutions were not important on their own, but rather because of the social meanings that they had been assigned. The explanation offered by this new wave of scholars appeared more persuasive relative to what neorealists and neoliberals had provided earlier. For example, contemporary constructivists seek to elaborate that states act in their best interests at the international stage. In line with this argument, constructivists maintain that state sovereignty is a norm that stems directly from an attitude of self-preservation by states. By focusing on state identity, constructivism offers a persuasive explanation of why states behave the way they do. This perspective makes the theory more relatable relative to previous theories, a situation that promotes its adoption in international relations. Neorealists and neoliberals failed to foresee the end of the Cold War, thus opening loopholes for constructivism to emerge as an alternative theory. Because of this failure, questions arose regarding the explanatory and analytical capabilities of these earlier theories. As a result, constructivism thrived, with its proponents raising fundamental questions about the nature of social science and hence international relations. By challenging the existing paradigms, constructivism attracted much criticism, which only helped to popularize the theory. Critics such as Barkin took the view that constructivism provided little knowledge and/or hypotheses regarding state behavior (166). At the same time, the end of the Cold War set the state for constructivism to spread as its major proponents called for a reevaluation of the debates surrounding international relations. In the end, the concept of constructivism grew as an opposition to the earlier theories. Another reason was the existence of many disappointed choice-oriented scholars who showed immense enthusiasm at the emergence of th