Introduction to realism o INR specifically pertaining to the US o Time period of the two world wars 15 million people died in WWI 40 75 million people died in WWII Larger wars than the world has ever seen before How did this happen and how did it happen in the west Enlighten ideals of freedom and equality Pushed for the o recognition of the sovereignty of others o recognition of individual rights Theorists look at how states interact with others and the role international organizations Immediate goal was to understand the international system and to ensure peace for future generations o Hoping to prevent another world war Two Theories Realism and Neo Realism o Both look back at history and use this to pick out patterns Classical Realism also referred to as just realism o in early stages of realism we have emphasis on power and how a state exerts power o emphasis on real politic power politics International organizations can never be more powerful than the state The state will always be the primary player aka individual leader o also focuses on security ensuring survival from state o Deals with state actors alone o Historical and Intellectual Realists Thucydides Niccolo Machiavelli Thomas Hobbes Carl von Clausewitz o Hans Morgenthau Comes to head the classical realists Saw mankind as inherently selfish evil and aggressive Comparing the Idealists and the Classical Realists Idealists Felt we could increase communication between the states other states Emphasized recognizing the sovereignty of the o If its recognized it wont be violated ect Felt we would see less conflict if we spread democracy Classical realists Believed leadership and systems were flawed Did not think we could fix it so easily Did not think the idealists theory meshed with Thought the conflicts would lead us into war human nature because o Leaders seek power o States seek power and then conflict arises Said warfare was a natural part of human development and would be a natural part of the international system The best way to avoid war was to prepare for war Adopted Hans theory stated above in italics The state will be a reflection of its leader Neo Realism o Aka structural realism o Came about after classical realism o Shift in culture brought us into this new type of realism o Kenneth Waltz Theory of International Politics 1979 Looked at how states were aligned with each other and took the emphasis off of the leader Did not see leaders as driving the behavior of states he saw the system as driving the behavior of states States has to act in a certain manor in order to ensure survival Emphasis on security not the leader for the sake of survival We live in a world where there is no governing body over the States work in an environment where they have to look out for states themselves This draws them into competition To Waltz WWII began because there was no system in place to hold Germany back Caused insecurity and formed war o Assumptions of Neo Realists States are Rational Unitary Actors They work alone and make decisions about their security They have to be looking out for themselves States will seek security for survival States wont always play nice because they aren t going to compromise security As one state seeks security it does so at the expense of another and can lead us into conflict Anarchy Breeds insecurity States selfish desire leads to the war of all against all Expect a lot of friction and we can expect war to be common o Balance of Power according to Neo Realists The world is most stable when we have a balance of power Alliances Smaller states seek alliances with the more powerful states to help with security Realists warn against alliances They should always be fluid and never fixed Bandwagoning When a smaller state seeks and alliance with the major power in order to guarantee its own protection The stronger power usually takes advantage of the weaker power and takes their land also o Polarity Uni polarity hegemonic stability theory One major power Does not mean one person has authority over the world just means that one power is the most powerful Realists believe that the only way to be the hegemon is to be the most powerful The majority of realists don t believe this is the way to go Bi polarity most realists support this Most truly balanced The power of both sides offset each other and creates a true balance of power Realists say when you have this balance of power you have the most likelihood of peace Multi polarity Multiple different seats of power Creates a lot of instability and insecurity o Relative gains zero sum What one gets at the expense of others Concept used without any further explanation For the realist it s in my best interest for ME to do well o Security dilemma Prisoners dilemma game theory States face security dilemma When one state gains something everyone else feels threatened A states actions intend to secure their national security Relists see that states think for themselves first and are primarily concerned with their own survival Their decisions are rational decisions based on their OWN needs o In the 1800 s we had a multipolar world o WWI Germany and the Security Dilemma Germany is now a threat Central Europe was relatively weak Otto Von Bismark Orchestrates the unification of Germany Forms alliances Confederation of Germany until 1871 when they Balance of Power and Reasons for its Demise become unified Power Transition Great Britain was losing its edge to Germany The declining power GB wants to try and hang on to their power so they are likely to react irrationally And the rising power GER is trying to prove something to everyone else But this may not have been the key catalyst to the war Russia and Preventative War Russia was on the rise Strongest land power Germany thought if they could act now they could get the edge before Russia did Colonial competition alliances arms race All led to WWI Not one issue Horrifically destructive war Europe is more unstable after than they were going into it Ottoman empire fell German empire fell Russian empire fell Pyrrhic Victory A victory that wasn t worth winning because you lose more than you gain US came out mostly unscathed however Europe is in disarray No balance of power Britain is the major power but is NOT able to play the roll No one has the willingness or ableness to check on the other powers o Interwar to WW11 according to the Realists League of nations Goal is to bring the powers together to prevent another world war
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