POLS 1402 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Kenneth Waltz, Security Dilemma, Utopia
13 Mar 2018
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Difference to classical realism : level of analysis: there is no theory of human nature. It doesn"t look at the type of state. It doesn"t care if they are democratic or autocratic, etc. Basically this is the clear difference on classical and structural realism: Focuses on human nature (human beings are naturally evil and selfish creatures. Neither individuals of state can explain war. When things move it connects with one another basically, in the international system when the actions of one state affect those of other states. Three elements: organising principle (heirarchy/anarchy, differentiation of units (same/different, distribution of capabilities (balance of power) Key themes: balance of power, polarity ( distribution of power among states, security dilemma (being accidentally aggressive and going into war even though you don"t want to, offensive/ defensive realism. Internal power: gaining strength through increasing states own military power. Balancing: when a state gets strong, other states try to counter its strength.
