Joshua Graham
00751500
Pols 100
Assignment One: Realism
Realism has been the basis for world affairs and political interaction by nation states since the offset of the Treaties of Westphalia. Realism was spurned from the beliefs of such philosophers such as Hobbes. Hobbes believed that human beings naturally desire the power to live well and that they will never be satisfied with the power they have, always requiring more power. He believes there usually is a want for things like fame and glory or admiration from others. He also believed that all people are created equally. That everyone is equally capable of killing each other because although one man may be stronger than another, the weaker may be compensated for by his intelligence. Hobbes believed that the nature of humanity leads people to seek power. He said that when two or more people want the same thing, they become enemies and attempt to destroy each other. He called this time when men oppose each other war. He said that there were three basic causes for war: competition, distrust and glory. In each of these cases, men use violence to invade their enemies’ territory either for their personal gain. He said that without a common power to unite the people, they would be in a war of every man against every man as long as the will to fight is known. He believed that this state of war was the natural state of human beings and that harmony among human beings is fake because it is based on an agreement. If a group of people had something in common such as a common interest or a common goal, they would not be at war and united they would be more powerful against those who would seek to destroy them. One thing he noted that was consistent in all men was their interest in self-preservation. Such interactions are classified by a number of varying categories that attempt to explain this phenomenon. The first of these is that the state is the most important actor in international relations. This means that state governments play the largest role in the realm of international politics. The state is a unitary and rational actor. Unitary means that the state speaks with one voice. Although members of a nation may have many different views on the best approach to a situation, only one approach will be enacted. Rational means that the state is capable of identifying goals and preferences and determining their relative importance. Leaders act only in what they believe to be their national interest and are not diverted by political games. Another belief is that international relations are essentially based off of conflict. Just like children with no parents, without the government to punish them, nations will attack one another so long as they believe it in their best interest. If many states engage in this behavior all at once, the result is a turbulent environment which can easily erupt into violence. If, however, there two evenly matched powers launch an arms race, the result is a tense but more stable situation, with each side keeping incentive to keep the peace because a war would lead to a stalemate or mutual destruction. The most prevailing issue is security and strategic issues, which dominate the international agenda. This means that a states paramount goal is to maximize their power in the international community, and that they are primarily concerned with military power. From these basic assumptions, realism makes four claims about the nature of international organization: States value relative gains in power over absolute gains in power. Relative gains are advantages in comparison to a specific country or group; absolute gains are gains that propel a state toward the best or most power it can possibly have. States that value relative power care most about their place in the international system, while states that value absolute power value maximizing their well-being over all. Consider an analogy outside of international relations: If you get a makeover
states can approach the international stage through realism, liberalism or constructivism. “Realism, also known as political realism, is a view of international politics that stresses its competitive side (Korab-Karpowicz, 2013).” “Liberal international relations (IR) theory is related to, but distinct from, the utopianism of the interwar period. The utopians believed that war could be eliminated either by perfecting man or by perfecting government (Cristol, Oxford Bibliographies, 2013).” “Constructivist…
which are Realism, Liberalism and Constructivism. Theories of international relations are necessary when people trying to figure out the occurred events, because these theories will help many scholars to analysis international relations under a theoretical framework. The issue of terrorist attack was closely linked with national behaviour body, therefore people wants to understand what is terrorism have to understand it through international relations theories. Realism The word Realism was from…
Critically evaluate Mearsheimer’s theory of offensive realism. Introduction: clearly state the aims/objectives of the essay. How will you approach the question? What issues will you include?(300) Realism is originally defined to be the attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and to deal with such situations accordlingly. Therefore, the aim of this essay will be to look at John Mearsheimers theory of offensive realism and critically evaluate it accordingly. Before doing so it…
Realism, Liberalism, Marxism and the Phenomenon of Global Integration Introduction Various theories and perspectives have been proposed by theorists and international relations observers in explaining International Political Economy (IPE). The most salient among these perspectives are Realism, Liberalism, and Marxism. These paradigms or ways of looking at IPE enables international relations students to study the forces at work in the international realm and analyze how these factors…
accurately. Even though the Ford Foundation was established by Henry Ford’s son, and not the company itself, it still represents the power and influence a MNC can exert. These reports are not controversial, but it does go towards forming an image about governments and it is in this way influence is exerted. Furthermore, the actions of the Ford Foundation to fund relief programs, brings into question the effectiveness and validity of IGO programs. Probably the largest non-state actor is the United Nations…
Turkey’s Foreign Policy Shift: Identity Politics or Political Realism? Alec White Sitting between Europe, the Caucasus, and the Middle East, Turkey is located in one of the most geopolitically complex places in the world. Turkey is also one of the most politically complex nations in the world, as a secular government in a heavily Islamic society. Historically, Turkey has been a friend to the West, as a member of NATO, the EEC and the EU customs union, in a neighborhood notoriously unfriendly…
international organizations, or nongovernmental Organizations 2. Define sovereignty and list the four criteria that define a state. Sovereignty- the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area Territory Population Government control of territory and populations Legitimacy 3. Explain the evolution of the international world system, from the Treaty of Westphalia to present-day. Important concepts to be familiar with include sovereignty (positive and negative)…
ideas and argue that states decide what anarchy will be like- conflictual or cooperative. This essay sets out in the following manner. First, it explains the neo-realists conception of anarchy followed by constructivist’s criticism of structural realism. This would help in highlighting the key features of anarchy existing in each approach. The essay then follows on to shed light on the role of regional institutions like the European Union, as well as explore the event of the Cold War, which would…
Nick Shorette International Relations February 2015 Liberals Seeing The ‘Good’, Realists Seeing The ‘Bad’ Liberalism and realism are two of the main focuses in International Relations, where each have different beliefs in the way the world works and the way things are suppose to be. Neither liberal nor realist, in my opinion, are considered ‘bad’ or ‘good’, I see them as just different types of people. Looking at liberalism, most of them are focused on equality and freedom, where without equality…
Brandon Fahlberg Realism is a political theory, centered upon a list of four assumptions upon which all branches of realism agree. The first assumption is that states are the only actors in the international system and they are viewed as a “black box” in which nothing that happens internally matters (Seay). The second assumption is that all states act rationally (Morganthau 61). The third assumption is that the international system is in a state of anarchy (Waltz International Conflict 260). According…