Realism: Royal Politics at its Best or Worst?

Paper Summary:

Realism, one of the two schools most predominant in the study of international relations has a long and exhausting history. Unarguably, it has been the most dominant theory of world politics since the foundation of international relations. This could be for various reasons, but many argue because of the United States' persistent use of this theory in its governance. Many politicians and scholars have wrestled over the question of the limitations and insights (if any) of realism. However, realism remains very prominent today, one reason perhaps being that the value of realism as an analytical tool seems to become more relevant to policymakers in times of crises. This essay is dedicated to examining the history and debates surrounding the theory of realism, and concludes with the authors' personal opinion of the value of this theory. This paper examines all fields of realism, from classical, to modern, as well as neo-realism.

From the Paper:

"Under the idea of maximal realism, when there are two equally powerful hegemons in place like was the case during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, there becomes an inherently unstable situation that is destined to collapse into a more stable state where one nation is more powerful and one is less powerful. Next, the theory of minimal realism holds that non-hegemonic states will ally against the hegemon in order to prevent their own interests from being subsumed by the hegemon's interests. Under the minimal-realism theory it is possible to have two equally powerful hegemons with whom a smaller entity may ally in turn depending on which hegemon better fits with the smaller entity's policies at the moment, creating a positive sum game for both sides, rather than a negative sum game like would be the case for maximal realism."

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