International Relations has been around longer than one may think. Some argue that the concept of International Relations can be followed all the way back to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. It was around this time that a modern state system was beginning to emerge. A notion of sovereignty was being tested at this time also. Today International Relations is known as the arena or world stage in which interactions between international actors take place. International Relations can be as widely interpreted as the totality of interactions between separate societies. From this definition comes different perceptions of the topic, known as ‘International Relation Theory/theories.’ The events which have happened in modern history especially helped
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Going back to the Cold War, Realism helped with the emergence of the Balance of Power technique which was an extremely important factor in maintaining the peace. Looking at the Cold War through a realist paradigm, it could be deduced that conflict could more than likely occur and with the materialization of nuclear weapons, this outcome would have been highly destructive. The Balance of Power method is described by Hans Morgenthau as a ‘situation of policy’ (Peter Toledo 2005 pp59). When a balance of power is at equilibrium, it means that the power of one state and/or states is met by an equal amount of power from another state/s. This was the case between the Soviet Union and the United States. With both of these Superpowers being on par with one another in terms of nuclear status, a ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ agreement was unofficially made. With both Superpowers having control of a nuclear arsenal it was likely that if one of them were to strike, there would be retaliation. If one was to strike, would the outcome really be more beneficial than the risk? It was the realist paradigm which assisted in maintaining the peace during this tense and unpredictable time, a realist perspective, is a logical perspective. Even in this day and age, Realism can be successfully used to interpret states’ policies and international relations between states on the world stage (Emanuela Voinea 2013). Realism plays a key …show more content…
Although I am not afraid to admit that Realism has weaknesses (which political concept doesn’t?) such as narrow interpretation and pessimistic views, the strengths highly outweigh these. Realism helped aid techniques to maintain the peace during the Cold War time period and it still helps us understand contemporary political events. I believe that Realism should be continually used to analyse politics especially now that the world is so unstable due to internal and external factors. I am also not opposed to the idea of Realism expanding and possibly even merging with other similar concepts like Social Constructivism. This could lead to and even stronger political concept. Overall I think Realism is a highly successful concept when dealing with International Relations due to it’s ability to be rational and justifiable. To put my arguments into more understandable terms, I will leave you with this: “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” - William Arthur
Going back to the Cold War, Realism helped with the emergence of the Balance of Power technique which was an extremely important factor in maintaining the peace. Looking at the Cold War through a realist paradigm, it could be deduced that conflict could more than likely occur and with the materialization of nuclear weapons, this outcome would have been highly destructive. The Balance of Power method is described by Hans Morgenthau as a ‘situation of policy’ (Peter Toledo 2005 pp59). When a balance of power is at equilibrium, it means that the power of one state and/or states is met by an equal amount of power from another state/s. This was the case between the Soviet Union and the United States. With both of these Superpowers being on par with one another in terms of nuclear status, a ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ agreement was unofficially made. With both Superpowers having control of a nuclear arsenal it was likely that if one of them were to strike, there would be retaliation. If one was to strike, would the outcome really be more beneficial than the risk? It was the realist paradigm which assisted in maintaining the peace during this tense and unpredictable time, a realist perspective, is a logical perspective. Even in this day and age, Realism can be successfully used to interpret states’ policies and international relations between states on the world stage (Emanuela Voinea 2013). Realism plays a key …show more content…
Although I am not afraid to admit that Realism has weaknesses (which political concept doesn’t?) such as narrow interpretation and pessimistic views, the strengths highly outweigh these. Realism helped aid techniques to maintain the peace during the Cold War time period and it still helps us understand contemporary political events. I believe that Realism should be continually used to analyse politics especially now that the world is so unstable due to internal and external factors. I am also not opposed to the idea of Realism expanding and possibly even merging with other similar concepts like Social Constructivism. This could lead to and even stronger political concept. Overall I think Realism is a highly successful concept when dealing with International Relations due to it’s ability to be rational and justifiable. To put my arguments into more understandable terms, I will leave you with this: “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” - William Arthur