POLB80H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Human Nature, Hegemony, Conventional Warfare
Document Summary
Realism: classical realism: human nature is flawed, and therefore our relations on the international stage are also sub-optimal. Human nature is selfish and fearful (and idiotic) Without an authority structure to control us in an anarchic system, our interactions. In our human nature, life is nasty, brutish and short are going to result in violence, civil war etc: the neo-realist shift. Neo-realists moved away from the classical focus on human nature, and argue that the anarchic nature of the international system causes states to behave aggressively. States are fearful of other states, and seek maximum power to protect themselves from their rivals. The international system is the level of analysis. We want to look at how power is distributed between states in the system. Big, powerful states are the key players in ir. States can do two things to stay safe: balance of power theory.
