Realism

Realism
• The dominant theory of
International Relations (IR)
literature
• Bases on the rational choice
theory: the aim of actors is to
maximize their interests
• National interests, war, security
are major concerns of realism
 States as the main actors
States are the principal and • The characteristics of states:
most important actors 1. Border
2. Population
But, what about non-state 3. Central government
actors?
4. Recognized by each other
5. Sovereign(ty)
 States are Sovereign
• Sovereignty: the principle that within its territorial boundaries the state is the
supreme political authority, and that outside those boundaries the state
recognizes no higher political authority
• Sovereign states ;
have the right to exercise complete authority over their own territories internally
o There is an unwritten contract between individuals and the state: liberty vs.
guarantee of security
are independent from other states externally
o The sovereignty of states prevents the establishment of a world government and
political authority
 sovereignty is states’ distinguishing/unique feature
 States are rational unitary
actors
• States are unitary actors:
States act as a unique, single
body
the government speaks with
one voice for the state
• States are rational actors:
states are goal-oriented and
follow their interests
States make cost-benefit
analysis
 What is anarchy and anarchic
system?
• Anarchy: the lack of a
centralized authority

• Anarchic system : a system

operating in the absence of any
central gov.
 No anarchy at the domestic
level
• What life would be like for us, if we lived in a state of
anarchy at the domestic level?
no state, no political authority with a judicial system, no
police forces, no court, no prison
The answer: continuous war – all against all
 When we look at the the failed states, we can see anarchy
and its impact on the society.
 State=> an escape from
anarchy?
• To avoid this kind of brutial life & to ensure their security, humans
created states
state => a way to escape from anarchy for people
• States prevent anarchy at the domestic level but what about at the
international level?
• The international system is anarchic because there is no higher
authority above states- no world goverment
States always have to protect themselves through armed forces
 Implications of Anarchy
• Anarchy leads to self-help
situations
Self-help: in realist theory, each
state must take care of itself
no international 911 number
that states can call when their
security is threatened
• What about international
organizations?
 Implications of Anarchy
• Anarchy also encourages states to
preserve a balance of power/ equilibrium

• Goal: prevent a state or a coalition of

states from dominating others

• The balance of power can be achieved in

2 ways:
 increasing military capabilities
increasing power through alliances
 Implications of Anarchy

• The exercise of self-help leads to the security dilemma

security dilemma: When a state arms itself, other states feel
themselves threatened and they also arm themselves to protect their
own national security interests
A dilemma because all states begin competing over security measures
=> leads to an arms race
even if a state is arming only for defensive purposes, in a self-help
system, states think the worst case scenario
States do not feel more secure than before
 Implications of Anarchy

Anarchy => Self-help System => Security Dilemma => War

1- Classical Realism

Thucydides, Machiavelli, T. Hobbes, E. H. Carr, N. Spykman, H. J.

Morgenthau, H.Kissinger, S. Huntington
Classical realists argue that;
1. International politics is driven for power
2. International politics has its roots in human nature
The state reflects the characteristic of the people
3. It is not possible to escape from the human condition: no permanent
solutions to the problems of politics
Classical Realists
1- Thucydides;
The first writer in the realist tradition & the
founding father of the IR discipline
IR => inevitable conflicts btw Ancient Greek
city states and their neighbours
States are unequal but this is natural
Inequality in power and capabilities: states
must be aware of this fact to survive
Classical Realists
Thucydides;
• Statespeople have the restricted area to act =>
operate according to the principles and practices
of power politics
• security and survival are the main values
• Focused on the nature of war => the main
reason of the war was fear related to a shift in
the balance of power
• Ex: the war between Athens and Sparta
Classical Realists
Thucydides;
• Shift in the balance of power -> efforts to change it -> causes fear,
suspicion and mistrust
• The cause of the fear=> a consequence of politics between states
• No central authority above states :
 the strong do what they want, the weak do what they must
power and capabilities of states determine the result of the war.
Classical Realists
2. Machiavelli
• national freedom, independence: the
highest value
• main resposibility of rulers: to
defend the interests of their state &
to ensure its survival
• The ruler must be a lion (power) & a
fox (deception)
Classical Realists
Machiavelli
• world is a dangerous and an opportune place: to survive, be
aware of dangers and take precautions
• the responsible stateleaders must not act according to the
principles of Christian ethics, otherwise they will lose everything
• The main values are the security and survival of the state and
they must guide the foreign policy of a state.
• the rulers do not only have responsibility to themselves but also
to their country & citizens=> the moral side of Machiavellian &
classical realism
Classical Realists
3. Thomas Hobbes
• The ‘state of nature’: an unfavourable human
condition in which there is a permanent ‘state of
war’
• in their natural condition, no one can be confident
about his/her security and survival
• possible to escape from the ‘state of nature’ into a
civilized human condition: through the creation of a
sovereign state
• People are civilized by fear of death: common fear
drives them away from their natural condition and
they cooperate to create a state that has power to
protect them
Classical Realists
Thomas Hobbes:
• the creation of a state to escape threats also creates a
serious political problem
• what about the condition of int. insecurity?
not possible to escape due to the lack of a global state
/world government (anarchy of the state system)
states are not willing to give up their independence for
the sake of any global security guarantee
int. state of nature btw states is less dangerous than the
original state of nature
• int. state of nature is a condition of actual or potential
war
Classical Realists
Hans J. Morgenthau:
• IR is a discipline which is based on the concepts of
national interest and power
• For him, humanbeings are evil by nature=> they are born
to pursue power
• politics is a struggle for power => politics reflect the
characters of human beings who created it
• The final political space within which security is ensured
is the independent state. Beyond the state, security is
impossible.