Summary
Summary Chapter 6 - Realism
- Course
- Institution
- Book
Summary study book The Globalization of World Politics of John Baylis, Steve Smith - ISBN: 9780199569090 (realism ideology)
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
More summaries for
-
Why is the effectiveness of international institutions often limited
-
Essay : International Relations (Post-colonialism) The Globalization of World Politics, ISBN: 9780199569090
-
Summary contemporary values of international law
1 review
By: hkhudiyev2019 • 6 year ago
Seller
Follow
ysechabanel
Reviews received
Content preview
Political Science 144Chapter 6: Theories of International Relations: Realism
Theories: simplified, explain change and motivation
- Can be criticised
- Emphasises some terms, criticises others
Origin of Realism
- Theory emerged from aftermath of WW1
- Focused on understanding of the cause of the war to find a remedy for its existence
- Criticised Idealists as they ignored the role of power, overestimated the degree to which
nation states shared a set of common interests and were overly optimistic that
humankind could overcome the scourge of war
- Outbreak of WW2 confirmed the inadequacies of the idealist approach when studying
international politics
- Realism replaced discredited idealist approach
REALISM
- Emphasis on state, self-help
- Focus on interests rather than an ideology, to seek peace through strength and to
recognised that great powers can coexist even if they have antithetical values and beliefs
- Realism offers a ‘manual’ for maximising interests of a state in a hostile environment
thus remains the dominant tradition in study of world politics
- Thucydides, Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes & Jean Jacques Rousseau ancient realism
political theorists
- Elements statism (the legitimate representative of the collective will of the people),
self-help and survival
- Criticised for not emphasising role of multinational corporations
- Realism shares with conservatism (ideological godfather)
- Been dominant theory since beginning of academic International Relations
Friedrich Meinecke historian
- ‘raison d’état’ (reason of state) is the fundamental principle of international conduct
- state is identified as key actor in international politics
- must pursue power
- duty of statesperson to rationally calculate most appropriate steps to take as to
perpetuate the life of the state in a hostile and threatening environment
- survival of state not guaranteed
- Essential core of realism assumption that state is key actor, coupled with the view that
the environment that states inhabit is a perilous place
- Issue: role of moral and ethics occupying international politics
1
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller ysechabanel. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $2.80. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
52510 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now