CAS IR 271 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: The Roots, Hegemony
25 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Realism: the product of a long historical and philosophical tradition, even though its direct application to international affairs is more recent: reflects a view of the individual as primarily fearful and power seeking. States act as individuals might, meaning that each state acts in a unitary way in pursuit of its own national interests, defined in terms of power. Power: the material resources necessary to physically harm or coerce other states (to fight and win wars) The central tenet virtually all realist theorists accept is that the chief constraint on better state behavior especially during peace is that states exist in an anarchic international system. International politics is best characterized as a struggle for power. Because of the imperative to ensure a state"s survival, leaders are driven by a morality quite different from that of ordinary individuals: morality, for realists, is to be judged by the political consequences of a policy.
