America's History from a Realist perspective, John Mearsheimer #history
Channel: International Relations & Politics
Date: 28/04/2022

Talk given on December 18th 2013.
Source
https://youtu.be/0DMn4PmiDeQ

What is the concept of realism?
realism, in philosophy, is the viewpoint that accords to things that are known or perceived an existence or nature which is independent of whether anyone is thinking about or perceiving them.
Significant characters in Realism.
Hans Joachim Morgenthau
He was a German-American jurist and political scientist. He was one of the major twentieth-century figures in the study of international relations. As a Classical realist, he believed that a pessimistic vision of human nature is reflected in politics and international relations. Hans Morgenthau in his book Politics Among Nations states that “politics is governed by objective laws that have their roots in human nature".
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli 
He was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise The Prince, written about 1513 but not published until 1532.

Realism as a Discipline
In the discipline of International Relations (IR), realism is a school of thought that emphasizes the competitive and conflictual side of international relations. Realism’s roots are often said to be found in some of humankind’s earliest historical writings, particularly Thucydides’ history of the Peloponnesian War, which raged between 431 and 404 BCE. Thucydides, writing over two thousand years ago, was not a ‘realist’ because IR theory did not exist in named form until the twentieth century. However, when looking back from a contemporary vantage point, theorists detected many similarities in the thought patterns and behaviors of the ancient world and the modern world. They then drew on his writings, and that of others, to lend weight to the idea that there was a timeless theory spanning all recorded human history. That theory was named ‘realism’.

What are the 4 types of realism?
Contents
1 Classical realism.
2 Liberal realism or the English school or rationalism.
3 Neorealism or structural realism.
4 Neoclassical realism.
5 Realist constructivism.

Realism is one of the dominant schools of thought in international relations theory, theoretically formalizing the Realpolitik statesmanship of early modern Europe.

The key point in understanding realism is that it is a theory that argues that unsavory actions like war are necessary tools of statecraft in an imperfect world and leaders must use them when it is in the national interest. This is wholly rational in a world where the survival of the state is pre-eminent. After all, if one’s state ceases to exist due to an attack or internal collapse, then all other political objectives cease to have much practical relevance. That being said, a leader must be extremely cautious when deciding where and when to use military power. It is worth noting that the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, undertaken as part of the Global War on Terror, was opposed by most leading realists as a misuse of power that would not serve US national interests. This was due to the possibility that the disproportionate use of US military force would cause blowback and resentment in the region. Indeed, in this case, realism yielded strong results as a tool of analysis, as the rise of the Islamic State group in the years after the Iraq invasion demonstrated.

Realism as a theory claims to explain the reality of international politics. It emphasizes the constraints on politics that result from humankind’s egoistic nature and the absence of a central authority above the state. For realists, the highest goal is the survival of the state, which explains why states’ actions are judged according to the ethics of responsibility rather than by moral principles. The dominance of realism has generated a significant strand of literature criticizing its main tenets. However, despite the value of the criticisms, which will be explored in the rest of this book, realism continues to provide valuable insights and remains an important analytical tool for every student of International Relations.

#realism 
#structuralrealism
#internationalrelations 
#internationalpolitics 
#politics