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APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS: REALISM VS. IDEALISM,

SYSTEM THEORY, GAME THEORY, COMMUNICATION THEORY, DECISION MAKING
THEORY, INTEGRATION THEORY AND DEPENDENCY THEORY
Approaches to the Study of International Politics
The study of international relations takes a wide range of theoretical approaches. Some theories emerge
from within the discipline itself; others have been importedfromdisciplines such as economics or sociology.
Many theories of international politics are internally and externally contested, and few scholars believe only
in one or another. Although several major schools of thought are discernable, differentiated principally by
the variables they emphasize.eg military power, material interests, or ideological beliefs. Some of the major
approaches are Realism, Idealism, System Theory, Game Theory, Communication Theory, and Decision
making Theory, Integration Theory and Dependency Theory. This chapter is intended to discuss about these
approaches.
Realism
Realism was introduced in international politics as a counter movement against so- called utopian liberal
school during the inter-war period in Europe. Gradually, realismbecame a dominant theory of IP. The
intellectual origin of realism can be trace back to the historical and political thoughts of Thucydides,
Machiavelli and Hobbes. Their theories of realismknown as classical realism. Later period, it strengthened
by E.H Carr, Hans J Morgenthau. Very recently, Kenneth Waltz introduced more systematic theory in IP
and it was called neorealism or structural realism. All these theorists proposed different range of ideas about
realism. Thus realism divided into two categories; classical realism and neorealism. In order to understand
the theories of realism in IP, we need to analyse both classical and neo-realism.
A) Classical Realism
Classical realist tradition in western thought goes back thousands of years. Thucydides, Machiavelli,
Hobbes, Spinoza, and Rousseau all belong to the classical realist tradition. In this, Greek historian
Thucydides (460 BC – 395 BC) and his book The History of the Peloponnesian War (431 BC) cemented
a credible base to classical realism. He argues in the History of the Peloponnesian War that the war between
Sparta and Athens was a result of the fear thatthe growth Athenian power invoked in the minds of the
Spartans. The Spartans thought it was important to maintain balance of power in the 'international system'
in which they existed. On the other hand, we see seeds of offensive realist thinking in the
Athenianargument that the strong dominate the weak in the international system.
Later, Machiavelli's treatise The Prince is considered to be one of the earliest texts of realistwritings. His
praise for ancient Rome's desire for universal imperialism, which heregards as a necessary ambition by the
rulers. In otherwords, he suggests that states aspire to conquer the world for the sake of self-defense.
Similarly, ThomasHobbes arguments on the 'state of nature' have become well respected in theclassical
realist tradition. Hobbes' work Leviathan argues that prior to the formation ofthe state, human beings
remained in a state of nature which was characterized byinsecurity and fear. The formation of the state
helped human beings to escape their state of nature. The systemof states continued to remain in a state of
nature where fear and insecurity prevailedbecause there was no sovereign power among sates to enforce
obedience and remove that fear and insecurity.
Classical realism was coherently presented in Hans J. Morgenthau's Politics among Nations.The
importance of this book was that realism gained a specific identity in the discipline of IP. He point out that
the tragic presence of evil in all political action. The desire of power manifests itself as the desire to
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maintain the range of one’s person over others and try to increase it or demonstrate it. Thus power came at
the centre of IP. He defined that international politics like all politics is a struggle for power. He proposed
six principles of realism;
a. Politics are governed by objective laws that have their roots in human nature
b. The concept of national interest defined in terms of power and it is the most important in shaping foreign
policy goal.
c. National interest in a particular period of time depends on the political and culturalcontext of the world.
d. Universal moralprinciples cannot be applied to the actions of states, insteadstate must be function in
according totime and place.
e. Political realism refuses to identify the moral aspirations of a particular nation with the morallaws that
govern the universe
f. Politics is an autonomous sphere, not subordinate to economics, law, morality, and so on.
In sum, classical realists presents that the nation-state as the primary actor and poweris the ultimate goal
in IP. The nature of state is similar to the human nature and national interest is determined by the power.
International system is anarchical and there is no place for ethics and morality. Every nations seeks to
accumulate more and more power.
B) Neo-Realism
Kenneth Waltz's much celebrated book, the Theory of International Politics, published in1979, offered a
rigorous systemic theory of world politics. His entire idea of realism was known as neo-realism or
structural realism. It mainly focuses on the international system rather than human nature in IP. Waltz’s
neorealism is a critique of traditional classical realism as well as an intellectual response to the changing
context of global politics. According to Waltz, the international system has a well-defined structure and
hasthree important characteristics; the ordering principle of the system, the character of theunits in the
system and the distribution of capabilities of the units in the system.
Waltz analyse these elements in a wider sense. There are two different organising principles; one is anarchy
which corresponds to the decentralized realm of international politics. Second is hierarchy which is the
base of domestic order. Moreover, the units of the international system are functionally similar sovereign
states. Hence there are differences in the units such as a state may be democratic or not. By considering
the third elements, Waltz’s says that the relative distribution of power in the international system is the key
independent variable in understanding war, peace, alliance politics and the balance of power. For example,
during the cold war from 1945 to 1989, there were two great power- the United States and the Soviet Union
and both constituted bipolar international system and after the cold war the international system changed
into unipolar. Thus he put forward the concepts of uni-polar, bi-polar and multi-polar systems in
international affairs defined by the number of great powers. A uni-polar system contains only one great
power, a bipolar system contains two great powers, and a multi-polar system contains more than two great
powers suggesting that the bi-polar systems are the more stable ones.
In sum, Neo-realists argue that power is a means tosecurity and more importantly for survival in an anarchic
system. The broad outcomes of internationalpolitics can be best understood as resulting from structural
constraints imposed on thestates by their system, rather than from unit behavior.
Differences between Classical Realism and Neo-realism
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There are several major differences between classical realism and neo-realism. That are;
a. First, there is a philosophical disagreement about the roots of realism. Traditionalrealism is rooted in
sociology and history. Neorealism borrows most heavily from macroeconomics.
b. Second, traditional realists view power as an end in itself, for neorealist securityis the end.
c. Third, traditional realists posit that power and the interests of states drivenationalbehaviour; neorealist
examine only anarchy and the distribution of capabilities.
d. The fourth and fifth differences center on the meaning of capability. Classical realismis a theory of
foreign policy, focusing on the relative distribution of capabilities between specific pairs of states or
coalition of states, not on the system wide distribution of capabilities or the polarity of the system.
e. Sixth, the two camps disagree over the meaning of the system. A system refersto an arrangement of
certain components so interrelated as to form a whole. For classical realists, the international system is
composed of units, interactions, and structure. In neorealism, suchprocess variables are not considered
system attributes.
Idealism
Idealism in international relations usually refers to the school of thoughtassociated with American
diplomacy by Woodrow Wilson that is why it is often referredto as Wilsonianism or Wilsonian idealism.
Idealism stands for improving the course of international relations by eliminating war, hunger, inequality,
tyranny, force, suppression and violence from international relations. To remove these evils is the objective
before humankind. Idealism accepts the possibility of creating a world free from these evils by depending
upon reason, science and education. Political idealism in international relations represents a set of ideas
which together oppose war and advocate the reform of international community through dependence upon
moral values and the development of international institutions and international law. Idealist approach
derives strength from the general idea of evolutionary progress in society and the spirit of liberal idealism
which was at the back of American policies, particularly during the inter-war years (1919-39).
The Idealist Approach advocates morality as the means for securing the desired objective of making the
world an ideal world. It believes that by following morality and moral values in their relations, nations can
not only secure their own development, but also can help the world to eliminate war, inequality, despotism,
tyranny, violence and force. For the idealists, politics is the art of good government and not the art of
possible. Politics provides for the good life and respect for his fellow humans, both domestically and
internationally.
Main Features of Idealism
a. Human nature is essentially good and capable of good deeds in international relations.
b. Human welfare and advancement of civilization are the concerns of all.
c. Bad human behaviour is the product of bad environment and bad institutions.
d. By reforming the environment, bad human behaviour can be eliminated.
e. War represents the worst feature of relations. By reforming international relations, war can be and should
be eliminated.
f. Global efforts are needed to end war, violence and tyranny from international relations.
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g. International community should work for eliminating such global instruments, features and practices
which lead to war.
h. International institutions committed to preserve international peace, international law and order should
be developed for securing peace, prosperity and development.