POL208Y1 Lecture Notes - Security Dilemma, Hegemony, Kenneth Waltz
Document Summary
Ir has been primarily dominated by the us scholars. Ir is said to have an american accent. The realist perspective is the theory that dominates ir and also influences many us politicians and policies. Paradigms are certain ideas that shape our views. 1: ir is a struggle for power: countries engage in international politics because they seek power, power comes in different forms. You can exercise power over someone by pleading. You can also exercise power over someone by using material force (using military, weapons, etc. ) Material power: you can also exercise power over someone by using side gimmicks/bribery. Whenever realists speak of power they are speaking of material power: every state, according to realists, is to seek power and always want to dominate. 2: rational states are the key actors in ir: human being are tribal and territorial, most important tribe is the state one belongs to, states behave in a rational way.
