Neo-Realism, Neo-Liberalism..pptx Version 1
Neo-Realism, Neo-Liberalism..pptx Version 1
Neo-Realism, Neo-Liberalism..pptx Version 1
Realism
• Focus Power relationships between states
• Main points
• Statism – states are the only important actors
(sovereignty is important)
• Survival – the world is anarchic (no institution is more
powerful than states) and dangerous, so states must
pursue self-interest in order to survive (as survival is
their priority)
• Self-help – in the dangerous world, states cannot count
on others to guarantee their survival
Realism
• Main variants
• Classical realism:
• Structural realism or Neo-realism
• Defensive realism
• Offensive realism
Realism
• Main variants
• Classical realism:
• EH Carr (1939) The Twenty Years’ Crisis – a
fierce attack on early liberalism
• Hans Morgenthau (1948) Politics Among
Nations – the first true work on realism –
human nature causes states to pursue self-
interest
Realism
• Main variants
• Structural realism or neo-realism
• Kenneth Waltz (1979) Theory of International
Politics – states pursue self- interest because of
‘structures of international politics’ (that is,
anarchy), not human nature;
Realism
• Main variants
• Defensive realism– states seek to maximise
security John Mearsheimer (2002) Tragedy of
Great Power Politics –
• Offensive realism’– states should maximise
their power rather than just survive
Neo-realism
• Neorealism – or structural realism – is the
bedrock theory of International Relations.
• Starting from a simple set of assumptions, it
seeks to explain how states, in particular the
most powerful ones, behave, and how they
interact with each other on the international
arena.
Neo-realism
• It is a theory of international politics. The theory is
usually associated with Kenneth Waltz (1924–2013)
and his 1979 book bearing the obvious name ‘Theory
of International Politics’.
• Neorealism is often called “structural realism,” which
signifies that the theory primarily centers on the effects
of the structure of the international system when it
seeks to explain outcomes in international politics.
• In Waltz’s conception of structure, two things are
especially noteworthy about the international system.
Principles
• Firstly, the international system’s ordering principle is
anarchy.
• This simply means that there is no such thing as a
world government; there is no higher authority above
the main units that exist in the system – the states.
• Furthermore, this results in an international system that
is essentially a self-help system consisting of states that
are autonomous, functionally undifferentiated actors
each of which must always be prepared to fend for
itself.
Principles
• The second defining principle of the structure of
international politics is the distribution of capabilities
across the units inhabiting the international system.
• Capabilities, or power, vary significantly between states;
states, though functionally undifferentiated, are
differentiated according to how much power they possess.
• Variations in power yield variations in the types and
magnitude of structural constraints that states face, thereby
effectuating variation in how states behave (or should
behave).
Six Fundamental Neorealist Concepts