Realism focuses on the international, or third image, motives for the way states behave. It stresses the fact that anarchy in the international system leads states to being self-interested and seeking to accumulate as much power as possible, foregoing any other states. There are three different types of realist thinking: human nature, defensive, and offensive. Human nature realism is a first image theory, which means that it focuses on the idea that individual choices are what causes outcomes in international relations. This form of realism states that it is “human nature” for individuals to seek power over other actors. (Shlaim, …show more content…
Israel emulated the prediction made by offensive realists of self-help: as is described in this analysis, Israel did not rely on making mutual agreement or treaties with other nations that would save them if they were to have to go to war with its neighbors. Israel was determined to help itself because the Jewish people believed that no one else was suited to help them due to the discrimination they had faced in the past. Additionally, Israel, like the other countries involved in this conflict, wanted to be a regional hegemon in the Middle East and the only way to do that was to maximize its power against those that wanted to take it by fighting harder and smarter than their adversaries.
Another major theme that Israel emulated with the start of the War was the security dilemma. The security dilemma is a concept derived by Robert Jervis that states that when one state’s security increases, it automatically decreases the security of another. This leads to a security competition between states because it forces them to increase their security faster and more efficiently than others so as not to fall behind. This causes war as actors fight for security