Early realist scholars believed states had to be aggressive to survive. Thomas Hobbes, being a particularly pessimistic early realist thinker, believed that the strong will …show more content…
In this case, the security dilemma only exists when states are not aware of the other states’ motives or intentions. While this defensive realist perspective appears to negate the realist concept of states seeking power, it still acknowledges the security dilemma as a self-imposed reality. Glaser acknowledges the theory’s use within IR for scholars attempting to understand many of the world changing historical events. To deny the security dilemma is to deny a realist’s interpretation of human nature. To encompass the both divergent realist ideas on a state’s hostile or protective nature, Jervis presents the offensive-defensive theory. The theory focuses on the games played between powerful states, in which offensive states always try to obtain more power and defensive states only seek enough power to remain