{"id":3548,"date":"2026-08-11T22:11:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:41:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/realist-approach\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T02:57:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:27:36","slug":"realist-approach","status":"publish","type":"psir_note","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/realist-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Realist approach"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"n-wrap\">\n<div class=\"n-shell\">\n<div class=\"n-crumb\"><a href=\"\/psir\/psir-notes\/\">PSIR Notes<\/a><span class=\"sep\">\u203a<\/span><a href=\"\/psir\/psir-notes\/#ii-a\">II-A Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics<\/a><span class=\"sep\">\u203a<\/span><span>Realist approach<\/span><\/div>\n<header class=\"n-head\">\n<div class=\"n-eyebrow\">Paper I \u00b7 Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"n-title\">Realist approach<\/h1>\n<div class=\"n-syl\"><b>Syllabus \u00b7 Paper II-A \u00b7 5<\/b> \u2014 Approaches to the Study of International Relations : Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory.<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"n-grid\">\n  <main class=\"n-body\"><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"realism-meaning-and-intellectual-precursors\">Realism \u2014 meaning and intellectual precursors<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Realism<\/span> (Political Realism, Realpolitik): international relations are governed by self-interest, power and a state-centric worldview. Rooted in <span class=\"n-sch\">Thucydides<\/span> and <span class=\"n-sch\">Sun Tzu<\/span>, it crystallised in the 20th century as a reaction against idealism\u2019s claim of a fundamental harmony of interests. <span class=\"n-term\">Classical Realism<\/span> (post-Second World War) locates conflict in <span class=\"n-term\">human nature<\/span> \u2014 <span class=\"n-sch\">E. H. Carr<\/span>, <span class=\"n-sch\">Reinhold Niebuhr<\/span>, <span class=\"n-sch\">Hans Morgenthau<\/span>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Thucydides<\/span> \u2014 <em>History of the Peloponnesian War<\/em>; the Melian Dialogue: the strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must. <span class=\"n-sch\">Robert Gilpin<\/span> reads him as a realist of honour, greed and fear.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Kautilya<\/span> \u2014 <em>Arthashastra<\/em>; national interest and power. <span class=\"n-sch\">Roger Boesche<\/span> calls him the \u201cfirst great realist\u201d; <span class=\"n-sch\">Henry Kissinger<\/span> reads his blend of realpolitik with <em>dharma<\/em> as idealism plus pragmatism.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Niccolo Machiavelli<\/span> \u2014 <em>The Prince<\/em>; separates politics from morality; <span class=\"n-term\">raison d\u2019etat<\/span> \u2014 whatever serves the state is permissible.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Thomas Hobbes<\/span> \u2014 <em>Leviathan<\/em>; the state of nature mirrors international anarchy without a sovereign; adopted later by Morgenthau and Waltz.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">E. H. Carr<\/span> \u2014 <em>The Twenty Years\u2019 Crisis<\/em>; morality is relative to power; states prioritise power when interests clash.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>\u201cMen live without other security than what their strength and their invention shall furnish them withal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3 id=\"classical-realism-hans-morgenthau\">Classical Realism \u2014 Hans Morgenthau<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"n-sch\">Hans Morgenthau<\/span>, a refugee from fascist Germany, turned realism into a theoretical framework in <em>Politics Among Nations<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>\u201cInternational politics, like society in general, is governed by objective laws that have their roots in human nature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Hans Morgenthau<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Six Principles of Political Realism<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Objective laws in human nature<\/span> \u2014 politics runs on permanent laws; understanding them yields a rational theory of IR.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">National interest defined as power<\/span> \u2014 the \u201cmaster key\u201d; judge outcomes, not motives or ideology.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Interest is dynamic<\/span> \u2014 interest-as-power is constant, but its content shifts with context.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Abstract morals cannot dictate politics<\/span> \u2014 states are guided by <span class=\"n-term\">prudence<\/span>, the practical judgement of outcomes.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">National moral aspirations are not universal morals<\/span> \u2014 states cloak interest in moral language; power, not morality, drives them.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Autonomy of international politics<\/span> \u2014 a distinct sphere of power and interest, separate from the moral, legal and economic domains.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Classification of states \u2014 via diplomacy, deterrence, balance of power<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-term\">Status-quo<\/span> (the USA) \u00b7 <span class=\"n-term\">revisionist<\/span> (China, Russia) \u00b7 <span class=\"n-term\">imperialist \/ expansionist<\/span> (historical Germany).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Critiques<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Stanley Hoffmann<\/span> \u2014 one-sided; ignores cooperation. <span class=\"n-sch\">Kenneth Waltz<\/span> \u2014 a theory built on unpredictable human nature is unscientific. <span class=\"n-sch\">J. Ann Tickner<\/span> \u2014 masculinist; neglects ethics and human security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"n-pyq\"><span class=\"n-pyq-chip\">UPSC 2017 \u00b7 20m<\/span><span class=\"n-pyq-q\">Is the Realist approach the best method to understand International Relations? Examine this in the context of Classical Realism.<\/span><\/div>\n<h3 id=\"thucydides-trap-and-the-melian-dialogue\">Thucydides\u2019 Trap and the Melian Dialogue<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Thucydides\u2019 Trap<\/span> \u2014 tension between a status-quo power and a rising revisionist power makes conflict highly probable as the rising power disrupts the order (read onto China\u2019s rise).<\/li>\n<li>Power supersedes justice; survival rests on strength; <span class=\"n-term\">self-help<\/span> is the only reliable strategy in anarchy.<\/li>\n<li>The <span class=\"n-term\">Melian Dialogue<\/span> \u2014 the dominant Athenians assert \u201cmight makes right\u201d and dismiss the weaker Melians\u2019 appeals to justice as naive. It captures the <span class=\"n-term\">security dilemma<\/span>: the tragic choice between survival and ethics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"neo-realism-structural-realism-kenneth-waltz\">Neo-Realism (Structural Realism) \u2014 Kenneth Waltz<\/h3>\n<p>Structural Realism imported the methods of modern social science (game theory, quantitative analysis), replacing Morgenthau\u2019s normative reasoning with structural explanation. <span class=\"n-sch\">Kenneth Waltz<\/span>, in <em>Theory of International Politics<\/em>, drew a market analogy: states resemble firms, aiming above all for survival; <span class=\"n-term\">self-help<\/span> governs, with no authority to enforce order.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Anarchy as structure<\/span> \u2014 no central authority; states are functionally alike, distinguished only by capabilities (power), not function.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Ordering principle<\/span> \u2014 domestic politics is hierarchic; international politics is anarchic (functionally similar, sovereign units).<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Barriers to cooperation<\/span> \u2014 insecurity (intentions cannot be verified, prompting arms races) and <span class=\"n-term\">relative gains<\/span> (not whether I gain, but whether my gains outweigh others\u2019).<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Levels of analysis<\/span> \u2014 individual, domestic and international; for Waltz the systemic level is decisive and leaders are relatively unimportant because structure compels them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Three core assumptions of neorealism<\/span> The world is anarchic \u00b7 sovereign states are the main actors \u00b7 the distribution of capabilities is decisive \u2014 only a relative change in it transforms the system. Waltz conceded only a single structural change since Westphalia.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p>\u201cIn anarchy, security is the highest end. Only if survival is assured can states seek such other goals as tranquillity, profit, and power.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Kenneth Waltz<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"n-pyq\"><span class=\"n-pyq-chip\">UPSC 2021 \u00b7 15m<\/span><span class=\"n-pyq-q\">Discuss the emergence of neo-realism and its basic tenets.<\/span><\/div>\n<h3 id=\"defensive-vs-offensive-realism\">Defensive vs Offensive Realism<\/h3>\n<p>Within neorealism, scholars divide over how much power a state needs for security.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-term\">Defensive Realism<\/span> (<span class=\"n-sch\">Kenneth Waltz<\/span>; <span class=\"n-sch\">Jack Snyder<\/span>; <span class=\"n-sch\">Stephen Van Evera<\/span>) \u2014 states are <span class=\"n-term\">security maximisers<\/span>, seeking equilibrium, not hegemony; excessive power provokes balancing, and conquest is often costlier than its gains.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-term\">Offensive Realism<\/span> (<span class=\"n-sch\">John Mearsheimer<\/span>, <em>The Tragedy of Great Power Politics<\/em>) \u2014 states are <span class=\"n-term\">power maximisers<\/span>, seeking regional hegemony; balancing is unreliable (states buck-pass), and potential hegemons inevitably strive to become actual ones. China\u2019s rise will not be peaceful. Strategies: direct (war, blackmail) and indirect (buck-passing, bait and bleed, bloodletting).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"n-tw\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><\/th>\n<th>John Mearsheimer (Offensive Realism)<\/th>\n<th>Kenneth Waltz (Defensive Realism)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Primary objective<\/td>\n<td>Power maximisation; pursuit of hegemony<\/td>\n<td>Security maximisation; survival<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Perception of threat<\/td>\n<td>States are perpetual threats due to offensive capabilities<\/td>\n<td>States seek balance; conflict arises from security concerns<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Security dilemma<\/td>\n<td>Amplified by offensive intentions and capabilities<\/td>\n<td>Exists but is contained as states seek stability<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Globalisation<\/td>\n<td>Power politics persist despite globalisation<\/td>\n<td>Anarchy drives competition, but excessive power-seeking is rare<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Waltz<\/span> held bipolar systems are more stable (fewer great powers, simpler deterrence); <span class=\"n-term\">Mearsheimer<\/span> applied this to predict that post-Cold War multipolar Europe would see more crises. <span class=\"n-sch\">Robert Jervis<\/span>: the <span class=\"n-term\">security dilemma<\/span> spirals through \u201cillusory fears and unnecessary defences.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"n-pyq\"><span class=\"n-pyq-chip\">UPSC 2023 \u00b7 15m<\/span><span class=\"n-pyq-q\">What do you mean by offensive and defensive realism?<\/span><a class=\"n-pyq-a\" href=\"\/psir\/psir-pyq\/what-do-you-mean-by-offensive-and-defensive-realism-upsc-psir-2023-3107\/\">Answer<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"n-pyq\"><span class=\"n-pyq-chip\">UPSC 2018 \u00b7 10m<\/span><span class=\"n-pyq-q\">Bring out the major differences between the Classical Realism of Hans Morgenthau and the Neorealism of Kenneth Waltz.<\/span><a class=\"n-pyq-a\" href=\"\/psir\/psir-pyq\/bring-out-the-major-differences-between-the-classical-realism-of-upsc-psir-2013-3102\/\">Answer<\/a><\/div>\n<h3 id=\"strategic-neoclassical-and-subaltern-realism\">Strategic, Neoclassical and Subaltern Realism<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Strategic Realism \u00b7 Thomas Schelling<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Thomas Schelling<\/span> applies game theory to strategic interaction; diplomacy is rational and success-oriented, not moral. <span class=\"n-term\">Brute force<\/span> takes directly; <span class=\"n-term\">coercion<\/span> holds the power to hurt in reserve \u2014 threats are most potent when the capacity to harm is not used. Nuclear deterrence depends on the adversary\u2019s alternatives; strategy over ethics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Neoclassical Realism<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Synthesises neorealism and classical realism: structure sets the \u201cbroad parameters,\u201d but domestic politics and leaders\u2019 perceptions are <span class=\"n-term\">intervening variables<\/span>. <span class=\"n-sch\">Gideon Rose<\/span> (coined the term), <span class=\"n-sch\">Stephen M. Walt<\/span> (perception of power), <span class=\"n-sch\">Randall Schweller<\/span> (status-quo vs revisionist interests), <span class=\"n-sch\">Fareed Zakaria<\/span> (state strength), <span class=\"n-sch\">Thomas Christensen<\/span> (domestic mobilisation), <span class=\"n-sch\">Steven Lobell<\/span>, <span class=\"n-sch\">Norrin Ripsman<\/span> and <span class=\"n-sch\">Jeffrey Taliaferro<\/span>. Richer explanation of foreign policy, but less parsimonious.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Subaltern Realism<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Mohammad Ayoob<\/span> reads state behaviour in the Third World: recently decolonised states face not only the <span class=\"n-term\">security dilemma<\/span> but an <span class=\"n-term\">insecurity dilemma<\/span> \u2014 internal threats from unfinished nation-building. Allied scholars: <span class=\"n-sch\">Ayesha Jalal<\/span> (colonial legacies, Pakistan), <span class=\"n-sch\">Arundhati Roy<\/span> (global inequality), <span class=\"n-sch\">Dipesh Chakrabarty<\/span> (<em>Provincialising Europe<\/em>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"realism-schools-compared-critique-present-relevance\">Realism \u2014 schools compared, critique, present relevance<\/h3>\n<div class=\"n-tw\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>School<\/th>\n<th>Cause of state behaviour &amp; character<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Classical<\/td>\n<td>Human nature; flexible on motivation, perception and prudence<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Neorealism<\/td>\n<td>Structure (anarchy + capabilities); generalising, plays down history and domestic life<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Neoclassical<\/td>\n<td>Hybrid: structure sets parameters, domestic politics and elites intervene<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Subaltern<\/td>\n<td>Colonial history, global inequality, the marginalised state at the centre<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Criticism of realism<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Over-emphasis on power and conflict; cannot explain peace. Misreads anarchy \u2014 the UN and Chapter VII collective security challenge perpetual anarchy. State-centric limits \u2014 non-state actors and transnational issues blur boundaries (<span class=\"n-sch\">Keohane<\/span> and <span class=\"n-sch\">Nye<\/span> on complex interdependence). Failed to predict the Soviet collapse. <span class=\"n-sch\">Jeffrey Legro<\/span> and <span class=\"n-sch\">Andrew Moravcsik<\/span> \u2014 a degenerating paradigm (\u201cIs everybody now a realist?\u201d).<\/li>\n<li>Wider critiques: <span class=\"n-sch\">Martin Wight<\/span> (realism, rationalism, revolutionism); <span class=\"n-sch\">Ken Booth<\/span> (human security and emancipation); <span class=\"n-sch\">Andrew Linklater<\/span> (global justice); constructivists (<span class=\"n-sch\">Richard Ashley<\/span>, <span class=\"n-sch\">Robert Cox<\/span> \u2014 structural realism is \u201cproblem-solving theory\u201d); feminists (<span class=\"n-sch\">Tickner<\/span>, <span class=\"n-sch\">V. Spike Peterson<\/span>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Contemporary relevance<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The state remains the dominant unit; interdependence has not abolished war. <span class=\"n-term\">Russia\u2013Ukraine<\/span> \u2014 neorealists read balance of power and NATO expansion, classical realists Putin\u2019s drive for prestige, neoclassical realists domestic politics. <span class=\"n-term\">Indo-Pacific<\/span> \u2014 a rising China balanced by India, Japan and the USA. <span class=\"n-term\">India\u2013Canada<\/span> \u2014 a neoclassical reading (external security plus diaspora politics).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"n-pyq\"><span class=\"n-pyq-chip\">UPSC 2022 \u00b7 15m<\/span><span class=\"n-pyq-q\">What is the realist prescription to the States to ensure their survival in an anarchical world?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"n-next\"><a href=\"\/psir\/notes\/idealist-approach\/\"><em>Previous<\/em><b>Idealist approach<\/b><\/a><a class=\"r\" href=\"\/psir\/notes\/marxist-approach\/\"><em>Next<\/em><b>Marxist approach<\/b><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n<aside class=\"n-rail\">\n<h4>On this page<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"#realism-meaning-and-intellectual-precursors\">Realism \u2014 meaning and intellectual precursors<\/a><a href=\"#classical-realism-hans-morgenthau\">Classical Realism \u2014 Hans Morgenthau<\/a><a href=\"#thucydides-trap-and-the-melian-dialogue\">Thucydides\u2019 Trap and the Melian Dialogue<\/a><a href=\"#neo-realism-structural-realism-kenneth-waltz\">Neo-Realism (Structural Realism) \u2014 Kenneth Waltz<\/a><a href=\"#defensive-vs-offensive-realism\">Defensive vs Offensive Realism<\/a><a href=\"#strategic-neoclassical-and-subaltern-realism\">Strategic, Neoclassical and Subaltern Realism<\/a><a href=\"#realism-schools-compared-critique-present-relevance\">Realism \u2014 schools compared, critique, present relevance<\/a><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Realist approach for the UPSC PSIR optional \u2014 PSIR Notes \u203a II-A Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics \u203a Realist approach Paper I \u00b7 Comparative Political Analysi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"fx_note_key":"II-A.5.2","fx_note_sec":"II-A","fx_note_point":"5","fx_note_desc":"Realist approach for the UPSC PSIR optional \u2014 PSIR Notes \u203a II-A Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics \u203a Realist approach Paper I \u00b7 Comparative Political Analysi","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3548","psir_note","type-psir_note","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note\/3548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/psir_note"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note\/3548\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3819,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note\/3548\/revisions\/3819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}