Realism is the oldest international relations theory. It stresses on competitive and conflictual sides of international politics. The theory states that the main actors in international politics are states, which are only concerned with power. The states are also lawless and will do anything to maintain their power. The statesman’s responsibility in the realism theory is to pursue and use the current power to gain more. The states must acquire the power to survive and protect themselves from the other states. Additionally, they do not depend on each other and act based on individual interests. The realism theory was developed by philosophers, such as Thucydides and Thomas Hobbes, and has several pros and cons and characteristics that differentiate it from other theories.
There are various philosophers who were involved in the development of this theory. The first philosopher was Thucydides. He lived over 2,500 years ago and highlighted the importance of power rather than justice. He captures the 30 years-long conflicts between Athens and Sparta. He also explains the cause of the conflict, with power and security being the main issues (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2017). Another philosopher, Machiavelli, challenged the well-established moral tradition. He replaces the virtue with ability, which promised earthly glory and power. His doctrine eliminates the relevance of morality in politics and justifies that all means are necessary to attain a certain political status. The states never regarded how evil or selfish the states have to be to gain power. Also, Thomas Hobbes, a political philosopher, subscribed to the realism theory. He believed that human beings are naturally hungry for power and will never be satisfied with their own. Kenneth Waltz is known in international politics for the development of neorealism, where the states are in an anarchic system and the distribution of power in the system.
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Realism has several characteristics. The major one is the anarchy in the system. The states do not have a large organization that controls what they do. If one state wants to conquer a smaller state, it can do so. Realism is also concerned with power politics, and their leaders seek power regardless of the cost (Jackson & Sørensen, 2015). The states must acquire the power to remain relevant in the system. Also, there are no dependencies in realism since each state has its own needs and helps itself face problems. The greed of power in the system creates conflict among the states and often leads to war.
The realism theory possesses some weaknesses and strengths. The advantages include the theory provides a lot of information about international relations, the contribution to power, and the nature of wars experienced within the international communities. The theory has also played a role in the development of other theories such as neorealism. Also, the theory recognizes states as sovereign entities and views them as rational players in international politics who seek to protect their citizens, interest, and property. However, realism's main weaknesses are that it has relied on humans' view to be prone to conflicts. Second, it treats the states' internal and external politics as an eternal competition (Peterson, 2018). Third, the theory does not address how the states make decisions. Lastly, the theory does not include the interference of non-state actors that influences changes in the system.
Despite starting wars due to the conflict, realism is still being represented in the modern era. States are still seeking power from the less powerful states. An example was the Iraq invasion in 2003, and there were no clear reasons why the US troops invaded Iraq. The Middle East has encountered conflicts within themselves and the powerful states. It has led to many people fleeing war-torn countries. The civil war in Syria has displaced millions of people. The conflict between the US and Libya is another display of modern era realism. Iran's nuclear program depicted realism, where the powerful countries developed a plan to interfere with Iran's production of nuclear weapons. The theory continues to surface as countries seek to get more power to protect themselves.
References
Jackson, R., & Sørensen, G. (2015). Introduction to international relations: Theories and approaches (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Peterson, M. J. (2018, February 6). Why IR realism persists . E-International Relations. https://www.e-ir.info/2018/02/06/why-ir-realism-persists/
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2017, May 24). Political Realism in International Relations . https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism-intl-relations/#:~:text=Realism%20encompasses%20a%20variety%20of,the%20names%20most%20usually%20mentioned
Wu, Z. (2017). Classical geopolitics, realism and the balance of power theory. Journal of Strategic Studies , 41 (6), 786-823. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2017.1379398
