Chapter 2 Realism

Front 1

anarchy

Back 1

the absence of a legitimate central authority with the ability to make and enforce laws that bind all actors.

Front 2

classical realism

Back 2

An individual-level theory that explains state behavior as the conse- quence of the fundamental nature of man that drives states and individuals to succumb to passion over reason; the drive for power and the will to dominate are fundamental aspects of human nature.

Front 3

national interest

Back 3

the goals that states pursue to maximize what they perceive to be selfishly best for their countries.

Front 4

neorealism (or structural realism)

Back 4

A system- level theory that explains state behavior as a function of the differences in their relative power within the global hierarchy, defined pri- marily by the distribution of military power, instead of other factors such as their val- ues, types of government, or domestic circum- stances.

Front 5

power

Front 6

realism

Back 6

A paradigm based on the premise that world politics is essentially and unchange- ably a struggle among self-interested states for

Front 7

relative gains

Back 7

Conditions in which some par- ticipants in cooperative institutions benefit more than others; the question is not “Will we both gain’?” but “Who will gain more?”

Front 8

self-help

Front 9

2.2 Assumptions

Back 9

Anarchy
State as Main Actor
StateasUnitaryActor–“statesarelikebilliard balls on a table.”

State as Rational Actor

Front 10

2.3 In a Nutshell

Back 10

The state is the dominant actor. States seek se- curity and/or power, above all other concerns.
Economic goals serve security goals. States’ interests are generally in conflict.
Increased security by one states threatens other actors.
International politics is primarily about bar- gaining, in which coercion always remains a possibility.
International institutions reflect the interests of the most powerful states.