AMU1325 Study Guide - Final Guide: Wield, Pax Britannica, Dialectic
World Politics
Realism and Liberalism
These are the two key paradigms of international relations
What is a paradigm?
• Completely abstract
• Assumption about how things work; worldview
o Assumptions or beliefs about a group of things- how the
concepts and variables relate to one another
• More than one use of the word- it exists in every profession
World politics by definition is a state where different paradigms
compete against one another
• Paradigms guide the analysis
o Shows the important variables, how they relate to one
another etc
• Help decide upon policy
Realism
Realism is known as the ‘first paradigm’, the stagnant paradigm or
pessimist paradigm → believes in the negative and inevitability of
human nature
• Writers over two and a half thousand years ago created realist
texts
o Thucydides ‘History of the Peloponnesian war’,
Machiavelli’s ‘the prince’
o More modern examples, E.H Carr, Henry Kissinger
o Often emerged in times of conflict
• Means that all other paradigms occur as a response to realism
R also believes violent conflict in international relations is inevitable
• As the first ideas of realism suggest, everything can be learnt
from reflecting inductively upon history
o History shows that human groups have always fought each
other with violence
o Inconvertible attribute of human nature
• The motivations of human beings can never be changed
o The search for security
o The desire to take from others
The idea of realism can be seen as ‘state centric’ → states are the main
actors in the international stage
• Anything which is the not the state is insignificant
o The state is considered an extension of the individual
• Concerns itself solely on survival
o Acts upon the interest of the state
The thought process of the state is rationality, calculates consistently in
order to optimize its decision
• Acts consistently in self-interest and for self- preservation
o Issues always have an existential aspect
▪ Beliefs that existence is threatened by changes in the
relative power
Power is seen as the most important variable → everything that we see
in the ionternational arena reflects the balance and distribution of power
• Power and relative power are essential in order to fulfill their
purposes
o E.g. What is our rate of growth in GDP compared to other
actors?
o How strong is our army vis-à-vis to surrounding nations?
• States are prepared to take actions to preserve their territorial
integrity and their political economy
o However their existence is always the most important
▪ States are willing to compromise in order to ensure
their self-preservation
E.g. states surrounding US and USSR
attempted to continue to make them happy in
order to preserve their nation
The Vichy regime in France in WWII in order to
appease Nazi Germany and secure France’s
survive
Realism shows us that
• Security in the world is scarce
• The struggle by definition will be for survival
• Struggle is inescapable
• Diplomacy is meaningless without power
• All states are positional
o They measure their relative rather than absolute position
of power
o The world is in a position of balance of power rather than
of peace
• International relations is hypocritical
o As all units are selfish by defitinition you cannot trust other
units
Security Dilemma: If a state wants to gain a marginal advantage by
arming itself it creates an unstable power dynamic and takes away some
of the power of other states.
Rule of realism: Play the game better
• Unable to change the world → only to secure own preservation
• Must be selfish to succeed
• Constant vigilance
o Must be wary of both enemies and friends in case of
shifting power
o Friendly states watch over one another → but this changes
with the distribution of power- frenemies
• No such thing as collective good
o If it is good for somebody it must be bad for someone
elses
o Collective action is merely the interest of the strong
• IF YOU WANT PEACE, PREPARE FOR WAR!!!
o Only deterrence is able to maintain balance of power
o States do not compromise over strategic
commodities
Two schools of realism
Classical Realism: As above prescribed
• Offensive: Suggests that the states are motivated by greed
rather than feed
o more concerned with gaining rather than preserving what
they already have
• Defensive: Claims essentially that states are motivated by fear
rather than greed
Document Summary
These are the two key paradigms of international relations. World politics by definition is a state where different paradigms compete against one another: paradigms guide the analysis, shows the important variables, how they relate to one another etc, help decide upon policy. Machiavelli"s the prince": more modern examples, e. h carr, henry kissinger, often emerged in times of conflict, means that all other paradigms occur as a response to realism. Power is seen as the most important variable everything that we see in the ionternational arena reflects the balance and distribution of power: power and relative power are essential in order to fulfill their purposes, e. g. E. g. states surrounding us and ussr attempted to continue to make them happy in order to preserve their nation. The vichy regime in france in wwii in order to appease nazi germany and secure france"s survive.
