Realism

Robert Dahl

• “Power is a relation among people such that A has power over B to the extent that he can get B to do something that B would not otherwise do”

• However, there are a lot of assumptions built into this definition

Hannah Ardent

• “Power is indeed the essence of all government”

• Power is about acting together in common interest, rather than coercion

Hans J. Morgenthau

• Political Realism navigates through politics by “the concept of interest defined in terms of power” i.e. states choose the action which will maximise their own power

• "The desire for power is deeply rooted in human nature"

• “International politics, like all politics, is a struggle for power”

John Mearsheimer

• “For classical realists, power is an end in itself; for neo-realists, power is a means to an end, and the ultimate end is survival”

• “Power is the currency of great-power politics, and states compete for it among themselves”

• “States quickly understand that the best way to ensure their survival is to be the most powerful state in the system”

Kenneth Waltz

• “In anarchy there is no automatic harmony”

• Argues that states exist in anarchy, meaning conflict arises out of a need for survival

E.H. Carr

• Criticised Idealism in Interwar period (The Twenty-Year Crisis – 1939), claiming it did not stop fascism – argues that there is idea of “utopianism”, yet need to acknowledge “realist” truths of international system

• Criticises idea that if people pursue their own self interests that everything will work out – these interests are often not shared with most of society

Morgenthau and Carr

Argue that power, interest and the state are all key for realism to function

Morgenthau

Argued against US intervention in Vietnam – saw it as against US interests

Carr

Adopts more Marxist approach, arguing interests are more shared in Communist Societies such as Soviet Union, rather than in capitalist societies where it is minority who dictate interests

Taras Kuzio

• Russian invasion is mostly classical realist, with Putin refusing to accept Ukraine independence

George F Kennan

Warned against NATO Expansion as far back as the 1990s