Human Nature, Anarchy, and Hierarchy as Determining Factors of Realism

Abstract

Realism is an important theory in International Relations that shapes the politics of the world. The main purpose of realism is to maximize gains and minimize losses. It is a common phenomenon that insecurity the balance of power never remains constant since self-help leads to a condition known as the security dilemma. Realists look at the states from two angles; states either a unitary actor or a hard shell of the black box. Most of the realists view human nature as a cause of war and conflict. They also see the state as negative with self-seeking interests and aggressiveness. Security is the key factor in international politics and is always based upon the power struggle among the nations. Anarchy and hierarchy are the two cardinal principles of realism. The former refers to the structure with no superior authority to dictate the inter-state relations while the latter describes the relations in terms of super-ordination and subordination. The prisoners dilemma provides a different choice for the solution of maximizing gains.