IR 501 Lecture Notes (2)

Realism
Dr. Bezen Balamir Cokun
bezencoskun@zirve.edu.tr


Text
Realism
Realism is the dominant theory of
international relations. Can you
think why?
Realism
Realists claim that because it
provides the most powerful
explanation for the state of war
which is the regular condition of life
in the international system.
The story of realism...
begins with the idealist writers claims of inter-
war period (1919-1939). According to realists,
the inter-war scholars approach was flawed,
for example they ignored the role of power and
overestimated the degree to which human
beings were rational.
Realism rose from the ashes of idealist
approach.
The story of realism...
a great debate took place in 1930s
& 1940s between the inter-war
idealists and realists namely E.H.
Carr, Hans Morgenthau, Reinhold
Niebuhr, Frederick Schuman,
George Kennan etc. who all
emphasized the primacy of power
and the competitive nature of
politics among nations.
The story of realism...
The theory of realism became
dominant after the WW II.
Raison detat of
Realism
The state as the key actor in international
politics
States must pursue power to perpetuate the
life of the state in a hostile and threatening
environment
Sceptical of the idea that universal moral
principles exist
3 Ss= Statism - Survival - Self-help
Distinction between domestic and international
politics
International Politics
international politics, like all politics, is a
struggle for power (Morgenthau 1948:25)
Realists argue that the basic structure of
international politics is one of anarchy in that
each of the independent sovereign states
consider themselves to be their own highest
authority and do not recognize a higher
power above them.
Classical Realism:
key thinkers & texts
Thucydides (c. 460-406 bc), The
Peloponnesian War
Machiavelli (1532), The Prince
Morgenthau (1948), Politics among
Nations
Classical Realism: key
arguments
International politics driven by an endless
struggle for power which has roots in human
nature
The ultimate skill of the state leader is to
accept, and adopt to, the changing power
political configurations in world politics
Politics is governed by laws that are created
by human nature. The mechanism we use to
understand international politics is through the
concept of interests, defined in terms of power
Structural Realism:
key thinkers & texts
Rousseau (c.1750) The State of
War
Waltz (1979) Theory of International
Politics
Mearsheimer (2001) Tragedy of
Great Power Politics
Structural Realism:
key arguments
It is not human nature, but the anarchical
system which fosters fear, jealousy, suspicion
and insecurity
Anarchy leads to a logic of self-help in which
sates seek to maximize their security. The
most stable distribution of power in the system
is bipolarity
The anarchical, self-help system compels
states to maximize their relative power position
Neo-classical
Realism: key thinkers
Schweller (1997), Neo-realisms
Status Quo Bias: What Security
Dilemma
Zakaria (1998), From Wealth to
Power: The Unusual Origins of
Americas World Role
Neo-classical
Realism: key
arguments
The systemic account of world
politics provided by structural
realism is incomplete. It needs to be
supplemented with better accounts
of unit level variables such as how
power is perceived, and how
leadership is exercised
Rational Choice
Realism
Grieco (1993), Anarchy and the
Limits of Cooperation: A Realist
Critique of the Newest Liberal
Institutions
Krasner (1999), Sovereignty:
Organized Hypocracy
Rational Choice
Realism
Institutions matter although the
problem of relative gains means that
they exert less of causal force than
neo-liberals. Rational choice realists
use advanced social science
methodologies such as game theory
Key Points (1)
Statism is the centerpiece of
Realism.
State is the pre-eminent actor in
world politics
Sovereignty signifies the existence
of an independent political
community , one which has
juridical authority over its territory
Key Points (1)
Criticism: Statism is flawed both on
empirical (challenges to state
power) and normative grounds (the
inability of sovereign states to
respond to collective global
problems)
Key Points (2)
Survival is the primary objective of
all states. All other goals are
secondary or low politics.
Key Points (2)
Criticism: Are there no limits to what
actions a state can take in the name
of necessity?
Key points (3)
Self-help: no other state or
institution can be relied upon to
guarantee your survival. In
international politics, the structure of
the system does not permit
friendship, trust and honour.
Key points (3)
Criticism: Self-help is not an
inevitable consequence of the
absence of a world government.
There are historical and
contemporary examples of where
states have preferred collective
security systems, or forms of
regional security communities.
Food for thought
How would a realist explain the war
on terror discuss.