Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Security Dilemma, Statism
22 Feb 2019
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Document Summary
Polisci 1020e lesson 15 realism: an introduction. Unifying theme: states in anarchy cannot take their security for granted & therefore rationally compete for power & security. Today, continues to attract academics & inform policy-makers. Some questions about applicability of realist assumptions since the end of the cold war. Those who grant theoretical primacy to human nature (classical realists) Those who accentuate the importance of international anarchy & the distribution of power in the international system (structural or neo-realists) State as the pre-eminent actor (all other actors in world politics are of lesser significance) Sovereignty: the existence of an independent political community with juridical authority over its territory. Survival: the primary objective of all states. All other goals such as economic prosperity are secondary (or low politics") States must always prepare themselves for war or face the risk of annihilation. Relative power is a key preoccupation of all realists. No other state or institution can guarantee survival.
