Realism and Liberalism in International Relations

Posted on Feb 3, 2025 in Philosophy and ethics

Basic Realist Ideas

  1. Pessimistic view of human nature.
  2. Conviction that international relations are conflictual and that international conflicts are resolved by war.
  3. High esteem for the values of national security and state survival.
  4. No faith in the fact that there can be progress in international politics which is comparable to that in domestic political life.
  5. These are pervasive ideas.

Classical Realism

  • Traditional approach to international relations.
  • It is a normative approach; there exist various ways to reach change in the organizations and to maintain them.
  • Focuses on national security and state survival.

Social Science Realism

  • Scientific approach.
  • Largely an American origin.
  • Social science realism is structural realism; we talk about the international systems, the systematization of international relations. We can measure and predict the behavior of the states.

Hobbes

(17th century) State of nature: how was life before civilization? How did persons live before education, society, etc.? What is the state of nature of international relations? It is the state of war, every man against every man; therefore, everybody is at risk. There is no escape from the security dilemma because there is no possibility of creating a world government. We can renounce personal violence but not international violence. The main point of the state of nature is a condition of potential war.

Morgenthau

Animus dominandi: the will to control the lives of other people (the human’s lust for power). Every state has this animus dominandi. The craving for power dictates a search not only for a relative advantage but also to secure their political space, to be free from the political dictates of others. The best political space is the independent state, where security can be arranged and enjoyed. Power and responsibility are inseparable concepts. Maintains that universal moral principles cannot be applied to actions of states but must be filtered through the concrete circumstances of time and place.

Morgenthau’s Six Principles of Political Realism

  1. Politics is rooted in a permanent and unchanging human nature which is basically self-centered, self-regarding, and self-interested.
  2. Politics is an autonomous sphere of action. Personal morality is separated from political morality.
  3. Self-interest is a basic human condition. In international politics, conflicts result from state interests.
  4. The ethics of international relations are situational ethics, depending on the purpose, goal, and situation. Something will be considered bad or good, depending on the situation.
  5. Realists are opposed to the idea that particular nations can impose their ideologies on other nations and can employ their power in crusades to do that. It threatens international peace and security.
  6. Statecraft is a sober and uninspiring activity that involves a profound awareness of human limitations and imperfections. The pessimistic knowledge of human beings as they are, and not as we might wish them to be, is a difficult truth that lies at the heart of international politics.

Classical Neorealism

  • Systemic neorealism.
  • The international system is composed of a defined structure and interacting units.
Three Main Elements in the Structure
  1. The principle according to which organization occurs; anarchy is the base of all international organizations.
  2. The differentiation of the units and the specification of their functions.
  3. The distribution of resources.
  • It is an attempt to explain international relations in a scientific way by reference to the unequal capabilities and anarchical structure of the state system, by focusing on the great powers whose actions determine the most important outcomes of international politics.
  • Main authors are Waltz and Mearsheimer. This bipolar system is more stable and provides better peace and security than multipolar systems.

Classical Liberalism

Focus: freedom, cooperation, peace, and progress.

  • Locke: rule of law.
  • Bentham: liberal states respect international law.
  • Kant: republics will establish perpetual peace.

(When they refer to “liberal”, they mean democracies). In the 20th century, international liberalism is based on the economy to describe the international system.

Main Focus: Trade and Commerce

According to them, if we establish a net of exchange around the world, the state will choose peace over war.

  • Liberals are optimistic; by using reason, they can arrive at beneficial cooperation.
  • Relative gains vs. absolute gains: when negotiating with another state, it is better to have relative gains rather than absolute gains because when one is always getting everything or winning, the relationship between the states will be affected. Relative gain is a trade of goods and services; you give something, and you get something back.
  • They can put an end to war.
  • Liberal optimism is connected to the Enlightenment and the arrival of the French Revolution.