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Alexis Rodriguez
15 November 2017
World Politics: Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism
Realism is the overlying theory that has inhabited the international world, and continues
to be applied to the many powerful states in this seemingly anarchical system. Even, though
realism seems to overwhelmingly be evident to many international theorists, there are still those
who adopt liberalist and constructivist views in today’s political world.
Realism is the theory in which it analyzes the relations between international states that
are engaged in the pursuit of power. This theory is based on three assumptions, the first one is
that since the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648—where European powers came together to end
various wars—state-sovereignty has been commonly accepted among many states and due to
each state’s military and economic power, they are the only ones that matter in the international
system. The second is that the policymaker’s primary responsibility is to create, maintain and
increase state’s power. The third assumption is that there is no central authority that’s positioned
above the states and that the international system is in fact an anarchic system. There are three
different perspectives in the theory itself: classical realism in which it is believed that conflict
arises because the search for power is a fundamental aspect of human nature; neorealism that
believes that conflict is a result of the anarchic international system; and neoclassical realism that
is a combination of structural factors and unit-level factors.
An advantage for states having a realist view in world politics, is that the basis of power
is measured through their military and economic power, which are both tangible resources. Since
the world is considered to be an anarchic system, meaning that there is no central governing
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structure, in this condition, states compete with others for power and security, so having a
tangible measure of power such as military and economic resources, allows those realist states to
thrive and be protected. Since its human nature to pursue power, conflicts are eminent in the
global state, so to ensure a state’s position in the world, a realist view will assert that position and
ultimately protect them. Another pro to realist thinking in a state’s government is that despite any
internal differences, the unified position would be that of the interest of the state in world
politics, it takes all the different views and integrate them by analyzing the benefits of each one
to the main goal of having power in the world. And while having a realist view does give the
advantage of securing an individual state’s power and security, that same advantage is the cause
of many of the theory’s pitfalls. Realism embodies three essential elements which are statism,
survival, and self-help. In statism, there is a relationship between violence and states, better
