Realism Summary

• Analytical units: states as principal actor
• View of actors: states as unitary actors
• Behavioral dynamics: state is rational actors seeking to maximize its interest or national objectives in foreign policy
• Issues: national security issues are most important

Classical Realism tend to:

1. Advocate holistic understanding of politics
2. Recognize the close relationship of domestic and international
3. Acknowledge the role of ethnics and community
4. Regard history as cyclical

Keyword: Groupism (alliance), Egoism (self-interest), Power-centrism (hegemony)

Classical Realism Core Concepts

Classical Realism introduces several key concepts that shape its worldview:

Groupism

Groupism refers to the significance of human groups, especially nation-states and nationalism, for survival in the realist perspective. It emphasizes that states are the principal actors in global politics and that nationalism binds people together under a common identity to form these coherent groups. Alliance formation between states is an extension of groupism.

Egoism

Egoism is the view that self-interest is the driving motivator behind political behavior. Classical realists see egoism as rooted in human nature - people and states seek to promote their own interests above others. Egoism manifests in the rational pursuit of national interests by states in the international arena.

Power-centrism

Power-centrism, also called hegemony, highlights power inequalities as a fundamental feature of politics and human affairs. The realist world is marked by some states exerting greater power and influence over others. Power dynamics shape relationships between states as they seek security and influence.

These interlinked concepts form the building blocks of how classical realists understand global politics and inform their perspective emphasize the primacy of the nation-state and national interests in an environment where power determines outcomes. The rational calculation of interest defined in terms of power is key.

Main Assumptions of Realism

Realism makes the following key assumptions about international relations:

• States are the principal actors in international affairs. Realism views states as unitary, geographically defined entities that make rational decisions to maximize their security and power. States are the most important units in the global arena.
• The international system is anarchic, lacking any overarching authority. Without a world government, states must ultimately rely on themselves to ensure their continued survival and interests. This creates an environment of self-help and uncertainty.
• States seek to maximize their power and influence relative to others. Power is a means to an end of security and survival. States build up military and economic power to leverage their position and interests internationally.
• The distribution of power is a defining feature of international politics. Realism focuses on the balance of power between states and alliances as a determining factor in international outcomes. Power dynamics constrain and shape state behavior.
• Morality and ideology have little influence in global affairs. Realism maintains that states make foreign policy decisions based on calculations of power and self-interest, not ethical standards. Moral principles do not override strategic considerations.
• Human nature is egoistic and power-driven. Realism has a pessimistic view of human nature, seeing it as inherently competitive and conflictual especially in international anarchy. This shapes how states interact.

Expanding on Principles of Realism

Classical Realism, as articulated by Hans Morgenthau in his seminal work “Politics Among Nations”, expands on the core principles of the Realist perspective in international relations.

Morgenthau emphasizes that Realism is grounded in objective laws rooted in unchanging human nature. He asserts that human nature is selfish, driven by the desire for power and dominance over others. This forms the basis for understanding politics and power dynamics between nation-states.

Additionally, Morgenthau puts forth the concept of looking at and understanding the world through the lens of “interest defined as power”. Interests of nation-states in the international arena are primarily viewed through the desire to maximize their own power and influence. Power becomes the main tool through which states pursue their national interests on the global stage.

Finally, Classical Realism stresses the autonomy of the political realm, separate from morality. Morgenthau argues that morality has no place guiding the conduct of nation-states and their foreign policies. The global arena is an amoral space where each state rationally and objectively pursues its interests defined in terms of power. Ethical considerations are set aside in favor of rational calculations around maximizing power.

In summary, Classical Realism expands on key principles of objective laws, interest as power, and the autonomy of politics. These serve as the theoretical foundations for this dominant perspective in analyzing dynamics between nation-states. Power reigns supreme in an anarchic international order with no overarching authority.

Domestic & International Link

Classical realists blur the distinction between the domestic and international, viewing them as expressions of the same human drives. Thucydides and Morgenthau emphasize the cohesiveness of community in maintaining order and restraint, both domestically and internationally.

A core tenet of classical realism is the connection between domestic politics and international relations. Rather than seeing them as separate spheres, classical realists argue that domestic and foreign affairs are interlinked, stemming from the same root causes in human nature and society.

Specifically, classical realists highlight the role of community in promoting order and restraint within a society as well as between societies. The cohesiveness of communities domestically helps foster shared identities, norms and values that can then underpin stability and cooperation globally. Thucydides emphasized how justice, moderation and shared culture within the Greek city-states enabled alliances and collective action against outside threats.

Similarly, Morgenthau pointed to national unity and vibrant civic participation as critical for order domestically, and for prudent, restrained policies internationally. Strong communities with a sense of shared purpose are a check against unrestrained egoism and power politics. Domestically, this order enables stable state power. Internationally, it facilitates alliances and security bargains between states.

Balance of Power

The balance of power is an important dynamic in international relations according to the realist perspective. On this topic, there are some notable differences between classical and contemporary realists.

Classical realists like Thucydides emphasize the significance of alliances in maintaining order and stability between states. Alliances allow states to check the power of potential hegemons and prevent any one state from dominating the rest. Thucydides appreciates the complex balancing acts involved in alliance formation and maintenance.

Contemporary realists, on the other hand, prioritize national power over justice and morality in international affairs. From their view, the foremost goal of any state is to maximize its share of world power relative to other states. Alliances are simply means to this end, vehicles for accruing power. Justice and restraint are secondary factors in the contemporary realist’s calculations.

So while classical realists see alliances as crucial for order and restraint, contemporary realists view power itself as the primary force in international politics. This divergence highlights an evolution in realist thought from its ancient origins to modern theories of international relations.

Change & Modernization

Examining change and modernization, classical realists associate change with modernization, bringing shifts in identities and conceptions of security.

Classical realists like Thucydides and Morgenthau recognize that modernization impacts both domestic politics and international relations. As societies modernize, new technologies, economic systems, and cultural values emerge. This can destabilize traditional identities, norms and ideas around security.

For example, the spread of digital technology and social media has rapidly connected people across borders, enabling new transnational identities to form. Globalization of markets has also shifted conceptions of economic security. Climate change is transforming how states think about environmental and energy security.

Classical realists caution that rapid modernization can outpace the ability of institutions and communities to adapt. This is why they advocate judiciously blending old and new values during periods of change, in order to maintain stability and order. Core values around justice and restraint help check leaders’ ambitions and build unity.

At the international level, classical realists warn that shifting identities and interests during modernization can exacerbate tensions between states. As relative power changes, status quo powers may cling to old notions of security and attempt to suppress emerging powers. Wise statecraft requires carefully balancing continuity and change across both domestic and international realms.

Justice in International Relations

For classical realists, justice plays a crucial role in shaping how other states understand and respond to a country. While contemporary realists prioritize power over justice in international affairs, classical realists emphasize justice as essential for maintaining order and restraint both domestically and internationally.

Classical realists like Thucydides appreciate the cohesiveness of community in maintaining order and promoting self-restraint. According to this view, justice enables order by aligning the means and ends of foreign policy with community values. Morgenthau similarly highlights justice as foundational for a stable international system built on order and restraint.

The absence of morality and ethics in the international arena is a core tenet of structural realism. However, classical realists diverge on this point, underscoring justice and morality as ensuring prudent foreign policy aligned with the community’s interests. Unjust means often lead to disorder and blowback effects that undermine the ends being pursued.

Iraq War Case Study

A classical realist perspective provides insight into the tragic outcome of the Iraq War, underscoring the dangers of hubris and the contradiction between a state’s proclaimed values and the means used to achieve them.

In the lead-up to the invasion in 2003, the Bush administration displayed tremendous overconfidence, making misplaced assumptions about the Iraqi people’s reception of American forces as liberators. This hubris blinded policymakers to the reality that most Iraqis would view the unprovoked invasion of their country as an act of imperialist aggression, not one of liberation.

Furthermore, the ideals behind the war - spreading democracy, protecting human rights - stood in stark contradiction to the means used - an unprovoked invasion justified with manipulated intelligence, the use of torture, the flouting of international law. As classical realists emphasize, justice and community values are crucial for how a state’s actions are perceived abroad. By contradicting its own principles, the United States damaged its legitimacy and moral authority.

The tragic aftermath of the Iraq War underscores key warnings from classical realists about the dangers of hubris and the exercise of unrestrained power. Prudence and wisdom are vital to prevent outcomes like Iraq, where the world’s most powerful state unleashed horrific devastation in pursuit of idealistic goals using unjust means. The restraint born of caution, humility and respect for shared values serves as an antidote to reckless exercises of power divorced from moral considerations.