PSC 116G Chapter 3: PSC 116 CH 3: Theories of International Relations: Realism and Liberalism
Document Summary
Ch 3: theories of international relations: realism and liberalism. Different theoretical approaches provide different lenses through which we see events. Realism: is an approach that focuses almost exclusively on the role of state power in an anarchic world where insecurity is high. Realism sees power as the main determinant of outcomes and sees the pursuit of power as the main determinant of policies. Liberalism: is concerned with purpose as well as power; it asserts that states have a range of goals beyond accruing power and that cooperation is often as important as power in achieving state aims. A theoretical approach that includes one or more theories that share similar philosophical assumptions. In his history of the peloponnesian war, written in the fifth century bce, Thucydides made several famous generalizations about relations between. The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.