Lecture 2 - Realism

Question 1

Who were the forefathers of realism?

Answer 1

• Thucydides

o Machiavelli

o Hobbes

o Rousseau raison d’

Question 2

What are the three principles of realism?

Answer 2

• Statism
• Self-help
• Survival

Question 3

What does the principle of statism mean?

Answer 3

The doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree

a fundamental unit is a state

its State centric

What constitutes a state changes over time

· City state/nation state

a State is a reflection of the people

Realist don’t treat states equally

Question 4

What does the principle of Self-help mean?

Answer 4

• We live in an anarchic world, being suspicious of other states is the only sensible state of mind: that is how you stay alive

Alliances are only based on self interest -> Individualistic

Question 5

What does the principle of Survival mean?

Answer 5

The Primary notion of the state is survival

there is only anarchy: there is no world police

States only try to acquire power

Power means security -> Type of power: material power (military, troops, latent power etc.)

Question 6

What can be seen as an extra principle according by realists for IR?

Answer 6

International politics is a constant struggle for power/ state of war

Question 7

What do realists think of morality in relation to IR?

Answer 7

Morality, values and justice are unimportant to analysis and conduct of international relations, because;

• Moral values are not universal
• Doing what’s right isn’t necessarily good for the survival of the state: survival is the most important thing® Machiavelli

A state as a moral force that permits domestic lets a ethical community emerge

Question 8

What are the diffrences between idealists and realists

Answer 8

• Idealist: thought that you can control the international sphere > global security

according to Realist: this can not happen, this a utopian thought

Question 9

What is the relation of human nature and realist?

Answer 9

Classical realist emphasis on human nature/ lust for power -> Humans drive for power in every situation they are in-> States are made up of humans.

Question 10

What is balance of power theory?

Answer 10

States may secure their survival by preventing any one state from gaining enough military power to dominate all others.

Question 11

What are the three patterns of struggle for power and the stressed importance of leadears maintaing a balance of power?

Answer 11

• Status quo
• Imperalism
• Prestige

Question 12

What is a status Quo?

Answer 12

Keeping how things are now. Not wanting to adjust the present

Question 13

What is imperalism?

Answer 13

• colonialism
• urge to expand
• Enlarging in hard power

Question 14

What is prestige?

Answer 14

• Demostrated power,
• ‘’it’s better to be feared than loved, if one cannot be both’’ Machiavelli
• Conflict readiness
• Pristine

E.G: Parades, weapon shows etc

Question 15

What is the three characterisations of the international structure of Waltz?

Answer 15

• organising principles
• Differentation of units
• Distribution of capabilities

Question 16

What is a organising principle?

Answer 16

Diffrence between hierarchy and anarchic

A National structure is: hierarcic
A International strcuture is anarchic

Question 17

What is the differentation of units?

Answer 17

view of states as functionally similar: striving for the same thing, security

achieve security by striving for power

Question 18

What are the distributions of capabilites?

Answer 18

· how power is distributed through the structure

· not describing the power of individual states

· polarity

Question 19

What are the five neo-realists assumptions of IR according to Mearsheimer?

Answer 19

1. Anarchic system: no world police
2. Military capable states: all states are potentially dangerous
3. Uncertainty of intentions
4. Motivated by survival
5. Instrumentally rational states: coalitions/ temporary friends

Question 20

What are the three patterns of behavior that are based on assumtions according by Mearsheimer?

Answer 20

• States fear each other
• States prioritise their own survival: it pays to be selfish
• States prioritise relative gains

Question 21

What are the two forms of gains?

Answer 21

Absolute gains= what you get

Relative gains= what you get in comparison to others. |
v

E.G: Country A has 10 nukes. Country B 15. The relative gain of country B is 5

Question 22

What is a defensive realist?

Answer 22

theory of Waltz, states gain an appropriate amount of power (states are wary of triggering power balance)

Question 23

What is an offensive realist?

Answer 23

A theory of Mearheimer. states should constatanly strive for more power

Question 24

What are two problems of balance of power?

Answer 24

• Balancing is inefficient: someone is always going to have more
• States aren’t always clear on how much power they have; ambiguity
  |
  v

E.G: Country A does not know how much nukes country B has. therefore the relatived gained power for country A is unknown.

Question 25

What are the four explanations of conflict and stabilty?

Answer 25

• Polarity
• A balanced or imbalanced power distribution (Waltz)
• Shifts in power
  -The security dilemma

Question 26

What is correlation of polarity to a explantion of conflict and stability

Answer 26

There are three kinds of polarity that lead to different results and have different arguments for stabillity. Uni-polar, bipolar & multipolar.

· Bipolar is most stable: only 1 focus enemy

· Multipolar is most stable: more possibilities for cooperation

· Unipolar is stable according to defensive realist

this leads to a hegemon problem, who would take on the hegemon?

Question 27

What is correlation of a Balanced or imbalanced power distribution to a explantion of conflict and stability?

Answer 27

Realist= Balance is stable when the state self inforce it

Neo-realist= balance occurs naturally

Question 28

What is correlation of shifts of power to a explantion of conflict and stability?

Answer 28

A shift of power leads to war

• Possibility of war increases with rising challenger
• If there is a rising power, the established power will take out its legs.
• Fading power: more likely to start a war

Question 29

What is correlation of the security dilemma theory to a explantion of conflict and stability?

Answer 29

Unresolvable uncertainty regarding intentions of potential adversaries lead to unbalancy

E.G: State X increases power-> State Y reacts by increaing there power-> state X reacts to this by once again rasing power. etc. = A never ending spiral of a weapons race (cold war)

Question 30

What is Neo-classical realism?

Answer 30

Retain many core assumptions of neorealism

(Pressures coming from the system, Polarity, Distribution & Anarchy)

But diputes the value of its parsimony* and criticise its ‘status quo’ bias.

• = spaarzaamheid

Question 31

How do Neo-realists critise the status quo?

Answer 31

• They take the perception of leaders in account
• Realists do not take the black box in account;

Black box: open up the black box of the state to complement systemic explanations

What inside the box isn’t important according to neorealist, but is to neoclassical realist.

-Focus on factors such as leaders’ perceptions (e.g. of rivals, of the balance of power), domestic politics, domestic state capacity, state institutions as intervening variables

Question 32

What do realists study?

Answer 32

· Alliance formation

· Tensions stemming from relative gains maximisation

· Changes in weaponry and polarity

· Rising great powers

· The limited utility of international institutions > security is important

Question 33

What is a example of criticism of realism?

Answer 33

· State-centrism can be criticised on empirical and normative grounds

The role of Non states importance: Afganistan