IR Lecture 10 Lecture Realism Next Term Is Theories Abstract get into the habit of thinking of real world examples and illustrations that support and refute this theories Discourses o Foucault argued that discourses produced what we come to see as real and therefore what becomes real They determine what can not just may be said and even what can be thought IR theories such as realism and liberalism can be regarded as root discourses that established what became deep seated historically rooted groves of thought these grooves powerfully channeled and conditioned later thinking after they became through rectification obvious natural self evident truths natural Reification Where and how might Realism fit into this picture o Anarchy is the triangle Anarchy socializes states Inside outside structuration But is it really something a thing that does this structuration That is the riddle What s so root about realism as an IR discourse o Realism is the oldest school of thought in IR o Thucydides First known realist in the history of the human race although very shortly thereafter people thinking along similar lines appeared in China and elsewhere Why Security Dilemma Spiral o Appears about this time and occurs all over and over again Prince Metterinich Of Austria 1773 1859 o Emerged from the Napoleonic Wars as the dominant European intellectual and diplomatic force promoting the idea that balances of power are essential and require hard work to construct and to maintain Denigrated nationalism and popular participation in foreign policymaking as dangerous and destabilizing To some a reactionary to others a visionary who foresaw the horrors of the 20th century international conflict The Horse look alike of Prince Metternich Haha o Animals named after Realists significant because of the association of power and strength You want your states to be realists not liberals because liberals are WEAK What s so root about realism as an IR discourse o Realism came to dominate the study of IR in America from 1939 until the mid 1970 s and shared the dominant position from the late 70 s to the early 90 s and probably still today o Realism profoundly influenced the US foreign policy establishment Think of Kissinger and Brzezinski Hans J Morgenthau 1904 80 o The Struggle for power and peace Book o His Background German 1904 a Jewish educated in Univ Frankfurt and Munich Diplomatic and Law history Victimized by bullying He didn t like Germany he took a teaching job in Madrid By 1937 realizes he escapes to the U S Then got a job here and wrote that book What s so root about realism as an IR discourse o Realism profoundly influenced the US foreign policy establishment Including Strategic Studies o The BIG BUT but does this mean realism is right Or just that its powerful How are rightness and discursive power related 6 Principles Morgenthau s Six Principles Of Political Realism o 1 International politics is governed by laws which can be uncovered through reasoned analysis o 2 Statesmen think and act in terms of interest defines as power This tendency moreover is good because it induces prudence o 3 The principle that statesmen think and act in terms of interest defined as power is universally valid in all times and places Thucydides o 4 Universal moral laws cannot be used to judge a state s behavior a state has no right to sacrifice the nation in pursuit of some grand moral vision o 5 States must not universalize their particular moral vision o 6 Politics and international relations are distinct from other social spheres and must be analyzed as such Hans J Morgenthau The Neorealists Two Main Objectives o 1 Make classical Realism more scientific and rigorous by getting away from all that history and philosophy and law yet still embrace Morg six foundational principles o 2 Put down a challenge from new theorists of transnational relations and interdependence theorists o Owing to its scientific rigor conceptual clarity elegance of explanation and demonstrated successes in predicting the future economics rapidly become the model social science to emulate for those IR scholars in US political science departments sniggering from feelings of inadequacy in the 1950 s and 60 s Such was not the case in Europe and Britain It was a US thing Why o For Some The motto became The more scientific the better o Kenneth N Waltz Theory Of International Politics Billiard Balls interaction within each other Exports of goods and services as a of GDP worldwide 1960 s to 1996 increase of trade Multinational Corporation Multipolarity unstable polarity is stable Levels Of Analysis Waltz invented this levels of analysis why do wars break out Power Transition Theory Another example of Neorealism understanding economy and wars Michael Mastanduno seeks to clarify and update Neorealism itself o Unipolar Politics o Mastanduno s Four Fundamental Realists Assumptions 1 The most important actors in world politics are territorially organized entities 2 State behavior can be explained as the product of rational decision making 3 important All states seek power but they don t all necessarily seek to maximize power 4 Relations among states are inherently competitive and they strive to improve their relative position Barry Buzan o People States Fear o What most realists agree on Buzan 1 Continuities Reification Question what comes first 2 Insecurity and power Security Dilemma Balance Of Power Neorealists say balance is not formed naturally the world functions like a just like clock or a machine or a market in which a market balances out the horse dude QUESTION Classical Realists VS Neorealists Which camp is right on the question of how balances of power form 3 Levels of Analysis 4 Sectors 5 Inside Outside Distinction Billiard Ball Legacy EMPHASIZED A key question Why no progress How exactly do the inside and outside realms construct each other making the whole assemblage extremely difficult to undo or esxaoe from both intellectually and practically