1. REALISM
Introduction:
Realism is the noblest of three contending school of thoughts and has a long and distinguished history that dates back to the Thucydides writing about the Pebson nesian war in ancient Greece realism deserves careful examination because the worldview continues to guide much thought about international politics.
The Four Propositions of Realism:
The four propositions of realism are as follows,
1. States are the most important actors.
2. The international system is anarchic.
☆No actor exists above states, capable of regulating their interactions; states must arrive at relations with other states on their own, rather than it being dictated to them by some higher controlling entity.
☆The international system exists in a state of constant antagonism (anarchy).
3. All states within the system are unitary, rational actors ☆States tend to pursue self-interest.
☆Groups strive to attain as many resources as possible (relative gain).
4.The primary concern of all states is survival.
☆States build up their militaries to survive, which may lead to a security dilemma.
Supporters:
George Kannon, Henry Kissinger and Hans J. Morgenthau are the main exponents of this theory but the best exponent theory has been made by Morgenthau. He says: international politics like all politics is a struggle of power which ultimately aims for international politics. Power is always immediate aim. They may also define their goals in terms of religious, philosophic, social economical ideals. They may also in future realization through nonpolitical means, such as technical cooperation with other nations or international action
Principle of Morgenthau:
Morgenthau has explain six principles of realist theory which are as under:
1. Politics is governed by Objective Laws:
Politics is governed by Objective Laws which are based on Human Nature and psychology. The facts can be ascertained through reasons thus political theory is based on human, psychology and reason.
2. Concept of National Interest:
The term National Politics can be understood on rational basis rather than moral or religious ones.
3. National Interest Can be Molded by Environment:
National Interest is not fixed and is molded by environment, thus the environment determines the political action.
4. Universal Moral Principles:
UMP cannot be applied to state action and these must be molded by the time and place. States cannot observe the sane standard of morality as are observed by individual an individual can scarify his liberty for moral principles but a state cannot.
5. No Identity between moral Law or National Law:
There is no identity between moral aspirations of a nation or moral law that governs the universe and asserts that all political actors pursue their national interests.
6. Autonomous Spheres:
Political Sphere is an autonomous sphere as the economists or the lawyers or moralists. The political actors think in the term of national interest as the economists think in term of utility and lawyer in the term of conformity of action with moral principles.
Criticism:
1.Theory is ambiguous and inconsistent with reality and no universally acceptable definition of power is offered
2. It is wrongly assumed that all individual and states seek their national interest in the term of power.
3. The theory wrongly assumed that power is the most important goal which the nation pursue.
4. It is defective as it treats the world as a static unit in which power is permanent guiding force.
5. It is wrong to assume that national interest carries its own morality, as different nations are ready to eliminate the morality.
6. It is defective as it assumes that there is hardly any
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