Lecture 1: The Dominant Doctrine: Political Realism

1
Lecture 1 The Dominant Doctrine Political
Realism

• The Purpose of a Doctrine
• To make sense of a complex world through
  simplifying assumptions
• To provide guidelines for practical policy
• The Origins
• Reaction to Idealism following World War I
• Reaction to the reality of World War II
• Principal theorist Hans J. Morgenthau
• Tenets of Morgenthaus realism
• Morality has no place in international relations
• Main interest of states the pursuit of POWER
  (there is a need for power).
• Main policy goal to manage power responsibly by
  balancing power.

2

• How to establish a balance of power
• Divide and conquer
• Compensate the weak side
• Arm
• Alliances
• Critique of Morgenthaus realism
• There is no evidence of a need for power
• Not obvious that his prescriptions work
• The Neorealist Response (Kenneth Waltz)
• The dominant characteristic of the international
  system is ANARCHY anarchy implies insecurity
• Anarchy and insecurity imply self-help. Self-help
  implies a quest for power

3

• The most stable international system is a BIPOLAR
  system.
• Critique of neorealism
• Not all nations feel insecure despite anarchy. So
  not all nations care about power.
• Bipolarity need not increase international
  security.
• Bipolarity need not be a stable system.
• Critique of both classical realism and
  neorealism self-fulfilling prophecies.
• The Virtues of Realism
• Avoids an emotional approach to international
  politics
• Focuses on anarchy as the main feature of
  international relations.
• But we must ask can anarchy be transcended?