Realism (international relations)
Realism in international relations is a theoretical framework that emphasizes the competitive and power-driven nature of global politics. It posits that states act primarily out of self-interest and seek to enhance their power and influence, often disregarding moral considerations. This perspective is rooted in the belief that human imperfections extend to governments, which are seen as entities driven by egoism rather than altruism. The origins of realism can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosopher Thucydides, whose work analyzed the power dynamics between city-states.
Realism gained prominence as a response to idealism, which advocates for cooperation based on moral principles. Realists argue that since moral codes differ across cultures, attempting to unify nations through shared ethics is impractical. They view the international system as anarchic, where each state independently defines its national interests and competes to secure them. War, within this framework, is often seen as a strategic tool to maintain or enhance power, particularly when a state perceives a threat from a rising rival. Prominent realist thinkers, such as Hans Morgenthau, outlined foundational principles that guide this philosophy, asserting that politics is inherently tied to human nature and that power is the central interest of states.
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Realism (international relations)
Political realism is a philosophy that works to assign motives to international relations. Political philosophy often tries to comprehend reasoning in the actions of governments, peoples, and nation states. Unlike many other political philosophies, political realism emphasizes the competitive side of international politics. It theorizes that nations cannot act according to a moral code, and instead think only in terms of power and influence. Realists believe that states and nations will always act to increase their power, regardless of the moral consequences of such actions. They believe that international relations can only truly be analyzed in terms of power and influence.
Realist philosophy can be traced back to Ancient Greece. However, it became a mainstream method of analyzing international relations after World War I. Realist philosophy grew more popular as a reaction against idealism, which focuses on using morality to bring nations together.
Background
Political realism originated with the ancient Greek philosopher Thucydides. In his work The History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides recounts the history of a war between the Ancient Greek city states Athens and Sparta. In his analyses, Thucydides discusses whether a state can seek power as a means to function and remain just. Other political philosophers continued to debate this question for centuries.
In the twentieth century, political philosophers began to turn to political realism as an alternative to idealism or utopianism. After World War I, many political philosophers attempted to explain the international landscape of the time through the use of idealism. Unlike rationalist philosophers, idealists thought that nations could be brought together through morality and common interests. They blamed the world’s conflicts on flawed political and social conditions, not on human nature. According to idealists, if those conditions were fixed, the world might enter a utopian state.
Realist philosophers thought that idealist ideas were flawed in principle. They argued that moral codes were not standard across nations and cultures, so attempting to use morals to bind the nations of the world together would not succeed. They also argued that idealists were assuming that their best interests were everyone’s best interests. Realists asserted that what was best for the idealists might not be what’s best for the world. Additionally, realist philosophers argued that for the world to come together over common interests, the nations of the world needed to realize that they had a common interest and be willing to cooperate with one another to achieve it. Many realist philosophers argued that such a scenario was unlikely to occur.
Overview
International realism acknowledges that people are imperfect, and that governments are made up of imperfect people. For this reason, governments are considered to be imperfect entities. In most political realism, it is assumed that egoistic humans are so driven by self-interest that they do not act in a just or moral fashion. Though representatives and governments may speak in a manner that makes it appear that they intend to act in a just or moral manner, if given an opportunity to increase their strength or advance their goals, it can be assumed that governments will take the opportunity regardless of the moral cost.
Realists argue that despite the existence of laws and regulations, the international arena is most similar to a state of true anarchy. They assert that each state is always seeking to increase its wealth, power, and influence. They also assert that each state individually defines its own national interest, independent of the desires of other nations, and will tirelessly work toward achieving those interests. For this reason, just like in situations ruled by anarchy, the state with the most power has the greatest role in shaping the international community.
Because political realists argue that a nation’s power is the most important characteristic in international relations, they often view military might and security as central issues. In this instance, a secure nation is a nation that is able to expel any invaders or to deter aggressors from attacking. Nations that are not secure will struggle to achieve any of their national interests, because more powerful nations will be able to force them to abandon their aims.
War serves a very specific purpose in political idealism. According to this philosophical tradition, nations declare war on rivals to stop them from continuing to grow in power. If a rival nation is approaching a powerful and established nation in economic influence or military might, defeating it in a war might stop that progress, maintaining the established nation’s advantage. Because nations do not normally declare war upon opponents that they do not believe they can defeat, it can be assumed that most declarations of war are attempts by powerful nations to influence—or hinder the development of—weaker nations.
Philosopher Hans Morgenthau (1904 – 1980) developed six principles of realism that helped guide realist philosophy. The first principle states that politics is based on laws that account for human nature. The second principle of realism is the concept of interest defined as power. The third principle states that interest defined as power is an objective category, but that its meaning may change over time. It also defines power as the ability to control other people. The fourth principle states that political realism is aware of morality, but maintains that universal moral principles cannot be applied to the actions of states. The fifth principle is that realism refuses to identify the moral aspirations of a state with moral laws. This means that whether a nation intends to act in a moral matter is of no concern to political realists. Finally, the sixth principle states that the political aspects of a nation and its representatives should be viewed separately from other aspects of a nation and its representatives.
Bibliography
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