Realism
international relations
CONTENTS
01
Definition
02
Classical realism in international
relations
03
Neorealism in international
relations
04
Development and criticism of
neorealism in international relations
Par t 01
Definition
Definition
Realism
Set of related theories of international
relations that emphasizes the role of
the state, national interest, and power
in world politics.
Realism has dominated the academic study of international relations since
the end of World War II. Realists claim to offer both the most accurate
explanation of state behaviour and a set of policy prescriptions (notably the
balance of power between states) for ameliorating the inherent destabilizing
elements of international affairs. Realism (including neorealism) focuses on
abiding patterns of interaction in an international system lacking a
centralized political authority. That condition of anarchy means that the
logic of international politics often differs from that of domestic politics,
which is regulated by a sovereign power. Realists are generally pessimistic
about the possibility of radical systemic reform. Realism is a broad tradition
of thought that comprises a variety of different strands, the most distinctive
of which are classical realism and neorealism.
Par t 02
Classical realism in international relations
Beginning
Realists frequently claim to draw on an ancient tradition of political thought. Among classic authors
often cited by realists are Thucydides, Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
and Max Weber. Realism as a self-conscious movement in the study of international relations
emerged during the mid-20th century and was inspired by the British political scientist and historian
E.H. Carr. Carr attacked what he perceived as the dangerous and deluded “idealism” of liberal
internationalists and, in particular, their belief in the possibility of progress through the construction
of international institutions such as the League of Nations. He focused instead on the perennial role
of power and self-interest in determining state behaviour. The outbreak of World War II converted
many scholars to that pessimistic vision. Thereafter, realism became established in American political
science departments, its fortunes boosted by a number of émigré European scholars, most notably
the German-born political scientist and historian Hans Morgenthau. It is the realism of Carr,
Morgenthau, and their followers that is known as classical.
Content
The most important
national interest
Power
Survival
Get more national interest
2021
Including its people, political system,
and territorial integrity
Example
Par t 03
Neorealism in international relations
Introduction
Associated in particular with the American political scientist Kenneth Waltz, neorealism was an attempt to
translate some of the key insights of classical realism into the language and methods of modern social
science. In the Theory of International Politics (1979), Waltz argued that most of the important features of
international relations, especially the actions of great powers, could be explained solely in terms of the
anarchical structure of the international system. Although Waltz’s position was not original, in
systematizing it and attempting to establish it on empirical grounds he simultaneously reinvigorated realism
and further detached it from its classical roots.
The difference between classical realism and neorealism
Waltz argued that traditional realist arguments about domestic
institutions, the quality of diplomacy and statecraft, national
methodology
morale, and human nature were largely irrelevant. He conceived of
states as unitary rational actors existing in a “self-help” system
(i.e., one in which each state must fend for itself). Concerned
above all with survival and operating with imperfect information,
states are conditioned by the logic of the system into similar
level of analysis
patterns of behaviour. The international system is defined by
remarkable continuity across space and time, and the trajectory of
international relations is explained by the distribution of power
across units in the system.
Relations between Neorealism and Neoclassical economics
This theory assumes that manufacturers are "homogeneous actors", treats them as a dark box, strips them of product
differences, organizational forms and internal decision-making processes, and believes that the market arises from the
interaction of manufacturers, and once formed, the market is independent of manufacturers and can determine price and
quantity, and its market structure is perfectly competitive. Based on this theory, Waltz proposed neo-realism, which set up the
state as a "homogeneous actor" and likened the international structure to a market, arguing that the international structure
arises from the interaction of states, and that once formed, the structure is independent of the state and, like the market,
becomes self-contained, independent, transcending and overriding the state.
Par t 04
Development and criticism of neorealism in international relations
Development and criticism of neorealism in international relations