As being one of the essential concepts in International Relations, anarchy alludes to the absence of government or the lack of a central authority within the framework of politics. Anarchy derives from the Greek word “anarkhos” which means “without a ruler”. Put simply, states as the dominant actors of international relations have no absolute control over international system. Since states are political entities that recognize no equal domestically and no superior externally there, is no central authority in international relations. This provides an international politics with its anarchical characteristics. Even though they concur on the nature of the international system as anarchic, major theories of international relations treat anarchy in different ways. For example, while neorealists are motivated to work within the limits anarchy imposes structurally on state behavior, neoliberals are striving to ameliorate its effects.

As can be understood from the information given, the correct answer is B. Definitions of the other terms in the options are as follows:

Agency: For proponents of a structural approach to international relations, approaches concentrating on unit (actor) level, with their strong focus on the states, are somehow reductionist. That is because, although states are dominant agencies with persuasive power over their peers and other agencies, and with ability to exert consequential, though not definitive, influence on the outcomes, state behavior in and of itself is not enough to analyze either the interaction amongst the actors or the abovementioned outcomes. Point is, the “actions of groups, when aggregated, produce patterns of behavior that may be fundamentally different from the behavior patterns of the individual” agency. “In this sense, the behavioral characteristics and the impact of behavioral patterns, or interactions, of the aggregate are greater than, and differentiated from, those of its individual parts.

Interdependence: Interdependence implies that the increasing connectivity between the actors and issues led to a world where no actor is immune from the impact of what is happening to another. Interdependence is positively correlated with industrialization, modernization, and most importantly globalization.

Sovereignty: Originating with the Peace of Westphalia, ending the 30 Years’ Wars, in 1648, sovereignty, or more properly state-sovereignty, is an externally, i.e. by other actors, recognized right of independent, supreme or final decision-making and decision-enforcing authority possessed by the state, generally over given territory.

Milieu: Milieu represents the visible, more tangible and emotionally laden conceptualization for man’s environment.