Recent advances in IR theory, most notably the turn to relations and practices, posit either implicit or explicit theories of agentic diplomacy. For relationalism this examination starts by analyzing the social interactions that constitute the structure in which individual actors operate. The practice turn similarly analyzes the physical actions of actors, moving beyond what actors say and think to what they actually do. Neuroscience may help both to build more robust theories of agency. First, new insights into intersubjectivity suggest that individuals within a social interaction create a material, i.e. neural, shared circuit that creates a unique and stable connection between people. This new view of intersubjectivity, where relations are rooted in material rather than ideas, has profound ramifications for relational theory, which privileges these connections in explaining outcomes. Second, the shared circuit further suggests that the practices of individuals engaged in a social interaction are not conducted autonomously, where each actor is a unique and separate agent, but rather agency may be thought of as a joint endeavor, with actions derived from shared, rather than individual, physical processes.
