Realism
Statism…survival…self-help
Why theory
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“A theory must be more than a
hypothesis; it can’t be obvious; it
involves complex relations of a
systematic kind among a number of
factors; and it is not easily confirmed or
disproved.” (Culler)
Why theory
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Theory is one of those words which conjures up both fear and
boredom. Fear because it sounds like something abstract and
incomprehensible like -- Einstein's theory of relativity. Boredom
because who wants to learn about theory -- reality is far more
interesting and theories don't really reflect reality!
But the problem is that we can't understand all of "the facts," we aren't
even sure which facts are relevant.
When studying international relations should we concentrate on
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countries?
on leaders?
on war?
on the international economy?
ON WHAT?
Theories are ways we organize the facts and tell coherent, empirically
driven and testable stories about how the world works. Whether we
like it or not -- all knowledge is driven by theories.
What are we trying to do
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first to challenge you to think about theory and then
to present you with a range of theories which will
aid our understanding of the world we live in. From
this knowledge base you will be asked to analyze,
evaluate and criticize the theories presented. We will
be emphasizing the connections between
international relations theory and reality of
international affairs in a globalizing world
At the end of this semester you will be able to think
critically about International Affairs, and to analyze
issues in world politics with greater depth and
sensitivity.
Realism - background
Looking at international affairs we can
identify 4 periods
Pre World War 1
1918 – 1945
1945 – 1970
70s -
Pre-theory
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Up to 1914
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There was no discipline of ‘international
relations
The focus was on events
No pattern was sought as to what shaped
relationships and why there were certain
outcomes and not others
1918 - 1945
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At the heart of ‘thinking’ was a wish
that war wouldn’t happen again.
This is described as ‘Idealism’, based on
19th century Liberalism,
It wanted to base itself on International
Law, the League of Nations
There was no impact from Marxist ideas
at this point
1945 - 1970
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Idealism had failed; war had not been
avoided; collective security had failed
Disillusion with the League of Nations
A sense now of needing to be ‘in touch with
the real world’
Realism as a theory for world politics
emerges
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Influenced by ‘power politics’ and the emergence
of nuclear power
1970 
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Consensus on what theory best explains international
relations is gone
Two main strands of writing emerge
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Economic which focuses on interdependence
Reversion to national concerns
These fit into 3 different perspectives, reflecting
different ideological underpinnings, different starting
points
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Realism
Interdependence
Dependency
An approach
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Who are the actors in the international
system
What are the characteristics of the
global political process
Outcomes – how is the nature of the
world system expressed through this
theory?
Realism
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Its main concern is with ‘power politics’; the
nature of the state is to get as much ‘power’
as possible
The advantages to this view:
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Willingness on the part of the state to threaten
others
Legitimises the pursuit of national interest
Intellectually well established tradition; its key
proponents, Morgenthau, Carr, Kissinger
Realism: who are the actors
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For realists, the states are the actors;
they see society as being divided into
states and they are the central political
units; the state is seen as a single unit,
it makes rational choices; no other actor
can create war/peace since the decline
of the Papacy; other actors (
bureaucrats in organisations) these are
seen as agents of the state
Realism… the actors
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They see society as being distinguished
by
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State Sovereignty ( territorially defined)
The state has a monopoly on the legitimate
use of power
The primary purpose of the state is to
defend the ‘national interest’
Characteristics of the global
political process
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For Realists, military and security goals are
always predominant
Instrument of state policy: military force
Agenda: this is set by shifts in the balance of
power and by security threats arising
Linkage of issues:
Role of international organisations: are minor
and limited; states do not see them as being
effective
Realism: what are the
outcomes
Limited order as society is ‘anarchic, i.e.
the absence of overarching
government
The world is made up of sovereign states;
they have the capacity to make war so
there is a security dilemma where
resources are not divided out equally
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Realism… outcomes…
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Key questions: how to control states in
the international system
The central concept: the nature of
‘power’
‘Power’
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Holsti: ‘the general capacity of a state
to control the behaviour of others
Morgenthau: all states are concerned
with power, either increasing power (
imperialism) or demonstrating power (
the politics of prestige
Power …
Taylor
He identifies certain propositions about power
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All states must attempt to maximise power
Power is seen as an end in itself
States seek to use power in relation with other
states
Military strength is seen as most important source
of state power
The nature of military might and how it is
distributed is seen as a determinant of how the
international system works
Advantages of realism
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Governments do act like this some of
the time
It allows you to come to grip with the
reality of force
It is a starting point for the
development of other theories