realism (IR)

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the dominant theoretical tradition in international relations, which holds that international politics is characterised by the struggle for power and security among self-interested states in an anarchic international system without a central authority to enforce agreements or guarantee security; classical realism, associated with Hans Morgenthau, grounds state behaviour in a tragic view of human nature as inherently power-seeking; structural or neorealism, associated with Kenneth Waltz's Theory of International Politics (1979), locates the source of power competition in the structure of the international system rather than human nature — states must pursue power because the anarchic structure leaves them no alternative if they wish to survive; offensive realism, associated with John Mearsheimer, argues that states are driven to maximise power relative to competitors because only hegemonic dominance provides reliable security; realism's core concepts — balance of power, security dilemma, national interest, and the anarchic character of the international system — constitute the dominant vocabulary of strategic analysis and foreign policy practice even for analysts who do not explicitly identify as realists

Examples

• Realism predicts that China's rise will produce balancing behaviour from neighbouring states and the United States.
• The security dilemma — in which one state's defensive buildup threatens its neighbours — is a central concept in realist IR theory.