Realism

John Baylis – International Theory

Chapter – 5

• The story of Realism begins with the critique of idealists or utopian writers from the inter-war period (1919-1939), who focused on understanding the causes of war to find remedies.
• Realists argue that idealists ignored the role of power, overestimated human rationality, and mistakenly believed nation-states shared common interests.
• The outbreak of World War II in 1939 confirmed the inadequacies of the idealist approach, leading to a shift towards Realism.
• A Great Debate occurred between idealists and realist writers like E. H. Carr, Hans J. Morgenthau, and Reinhold Niebuhr who emphasized the ubiquity of power and the competitive nature of politics.
• Realists emerged victorious in the debate, and Realism became the dominant tradition in the study of international relations.
• Realism taught American leaders to focus on interests over ideology, seek peace through strength, and recognize that great powers can coexist despite differing values.
• The theory of Realism that prevailed after World War II is based on a classical tradition of thought, including figures like Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Rousseau, who emphasized the raison d’état or reason of state.
• Raison d’état emphasizes that the state must pursue power to ensure its survival in a hostile environment.
• Realists argue that the use of force in statecraft is legitimate, as the survival of the state is never guaranteed.
• Realists are skeptical of universal moral principles and warn against sacrificing state interests for ethical conduct.
• Machiavelli argued that state leaders must adhere to a different morality that focuses on political necessity and prudence, rather than traditional virtues.
• Realists defend a dual moral standard: one for individual citizens and another for state actions in international politics.
• Realists believe the state itself represents a moral force, as it creates the possibility for an ethical domestic political community.
• Classical realism shares core elements with modern variants, such as statism, survival, and self-help.
• Statism refers to the sovereign state as the legitimate representative of the people, and realists view sovereign statesas the central actors in international politics.
• The anarchy in international politics refers to the lack of a central authority above sovereign states, making survival a key priority.
• Domestic politics is hierarchical, while international politics operates in an anarchic system where sovereign states consider themselves the highest authority.
• Realists argue that the priority for state leaders is to ensure the survival of the state, and power is crucial to achieving this goal.
• States with more power have a better chance of survival. Power is traditionally defined in military strategic terms, but survival remains the core national interest.
• Self-help is the principle that states are responsible for their own well-being and survival without relying on other states or international institutions like the United Nations.
• If threatened, states should augment their own power by engaging in actions such as military arms build-up.
• States facing threats from more powerful states may form alliances to balance the power of the opposing side.
• The balance of power mechanism ensures no state or coalition can dominate others, exemplified during the Cold Warwith alliances like NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
• The peaceful end of the Cold War caught many realists by surprise, leading to critiques of Realism for its inability to foresee developments like regional integration and humanitarian intervention.
• Critics argue that Realism fails to explain the rise of non-state actors, intra-state wars, and the decline of state power in the face of globalization.
• Realists maintain that their theory explains intra-state conflicts and argue that Realism is a resilient theory that reflects timeless laws of international politics.
• The survival of Realism is linked to its claim that it embodies laws of politics true across time and space.
• Despite political changes, realists believe the world still operates according to Realist principles.