Realism as a political theory is founded on the idea of inherent human nature as its principal source, and that power or interest in power is the driving force behind international and national politics. The power is the power of man over man. If reduced to its elements, political realism can be defined by the saying ‘might is right’ (Alex Moseley 2003). Realism has it roots in texts such as Theucydides’ Pelopennesian War, Machiavelli’s The Prince, Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan and various other texts including William Shakespeare’s Richard III.

The basic premise of realism, is that ‘objective laws’ rooted within human nature govern politics. ‘Objective laws’ is used in this context to mean people behaving in a predictable way. Morgenthau states that “[I]n order to improve society it is first necessary to understand the laws by which society lives”. The assumption that human nature is a fixed condition is flawed. Evidence for this lies in areas such as the changes in religious understanding within the last 500 years including the development of atheism or agnosticism.

The inherent ability of humans to invent and develop indicat

Realists posit that no nation can advance without imposing on the interests of other nations. In this situation, the existing order can break down when nations compete for the same resources and conflict may follow, where nations have only themselves to rely on (Alex Moseley 2003).

That Realism would continue to be a valid theory in a world with a uni-polar international power is evidently incorrect.

The inherent problem with such assumptions is that when making judgements in relation to the foreign policy of other nations it is not possible as an outsider to be totally accurate. For example, policies may be the product of more than one mind and may not take into account other factors such as subterfuge, self-interest, and specific geo-political aims.

Some topics in this essay:
Alex Moseley, Richard III, Accounting Realism, Morgenthau HJ, TRADITION Realism, Hobbes’ Leviathan, human nature, alex moseley 2003, power power, alex moseley, moseley 2003, political realism, foreign policy, international politics, morgenthau hj 1978, domestic analogy, changed human, 2003 realism, changed human behaviour, moseley 2003 realism,