Realism Term Paper -- Political Science

Realism by definition is an approach to global politics derived from the tradition of power politics and belief that behavior is determined by the search for and distribution of power. [5] By using the concept of power it is easy to discuss basics of realism. Realist theories are based of beliefs that states are motivated by aggressive or defensive urges, the national interest is survival and states are unitary actors each moving towards their own national interest.[4] The first key feature of realism is statism. Statism is an idea that the state is an accurate representative of the will of its people.[4] The state is sovereign and therefore is able to govern itself as it wants. With this sovereignty that state is able to institute security. After a state has established security it is then able to continue with a communal culture. In international relationships however sovereignty does not supply security therefore a state must vie with its neighboring states to accomplish it. This can lead to a power struggle to ensure that state’s people can live in security.[5] A second key point of realism is survival. Survival to realists is rather simple; the state with the most power stands a better likelihood of survival. Naturally it is believed that survival is the definitive objective of realism. To guarantee survival a state may stray from their set of ethics because it cannot worry about moral issues. If state were to hold onto its set of beliefs, it may suffer at the expense of a more powerful state. In realism cases there are two conflicting segments, defensive and offensive realists.[5] A state with a defensive realist perspective believes they must obtain enough power to ensure security, but not so much power that their security... ... event. Works Cited 1. http://www.orsam.org.tr/tr/trUploads/Yazilar/Dosyalar/201229_ortadoguetutler_volume3_no2.pdf#page=11). Ozlem TUR. January 2012. ORSAM. 13 Apr. 2012 2. (http://www.laidi.com/sitedp/sites/default/files/The%20Arab%20Counterrevolution_0.pdf). Hussein Agha and Robert Malley. September 29 2011. The New York Review of Books. 13 Apr. 2012 3. (http://www.pomeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/POMEPS_BriefBooklet4_Syria-TEXT_WEB-1.pdf) Mona Yacoubian and Radwan Ziadeh. 4 May 2011 Project on Middle East Political Science. 13 Apr. 2012 4. Tim Dunne and Brian C. Schmidt, â€Å"Realism,† in John Baylis and Steve Smith, The Globalization of Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, 3rd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2005), pp. 162-183. 5. Mansbach, Richard and Kirsten Taylor, Introduction to Global Politics. New York: Routledge. 2008 Print