Realism (Edexcel A Level Politics): Revision Note

Optional unit

States as key actors

• Realists argue that they see the world as it is, rather than what people may hope it to be

• Realist theorists consider states to be the most significant actors in global politics 

  • Power is the most significant concept 

  • Human beings are selfish and competitive by nature and therefore so are states

  • Other actors may exist and attempt to exert power but they are always subjected to the will of powerful states

  • Powerful states have higher levels of external sovereignty, meaning they play a more significant role in global politics compared with other states 

Relationships between states

• All states possess some kind of power or ability to threaten or actually inflict damage to other states

  • Traditionally this could be linked to militarism but can also be linked to cybersecurity

• States can never know the true intentions of other states and so should interact with caution

• The primary goal of all states is its own needs and, ultimately, its survival 

The balance of power

• Some realists believe that the best chance of maintaining a stable world order is if the balance of power between states is maintained

  • In a multipolar world, this means a group of powerful states maintain their positions of power in relation to each other

  • In a bi-polar world, such as during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and USA, each of the two states kept up with each other in terms of power capability

    • It is debatable as to whether the Cold War can be defined as a stable world order period, as both primary states were constantly completing and threatening world peace

  • In a unipolar world, such as the situation which we see with the USA, there is no balance of power

    • One state dominates, contradicting the realist balance of power theory 

  • Some argue the unipolar world system is unprecedented and unsustainable because balance is missing and inevitably hegemony will be challenged

International anarchy

• The international system is anarchic, meaning:

  • There is no higher power than the state

    • Any sense of world order being provided by a global governance institution or a universal human desire for peace, is fantasy

  • All states must depend on themselves for survival

    • Every state must maximise their power and security and never rely on another state or actor

  • States are constantly competing with each other and co-operation is only undertaken if each state is convinced it has more to gain than the other  

  • A zero sum game is at play where one state’s gain is another state’s loss

The billiard ball model

• The billiard ball model explains global politics by treating states as separate, independent units operating in an anarchic international system

  • States are like billiard balls

    • Each has a “hard shell” of sovereignty, so what happens inside the state is largely hidden from the outside and the state acts as one united actor

  • Interactions are unpredictable

    • There is no guaranteed method for resolving disputes, so states rely on self-help to survive and protect their interests

  • Whether states cooperate, compete or clash depends heavily on the distribution of power in the system, which shapes how likely conflict is

Inevitability of war

• Realists view conflict as inevitable

  • The constant competition for power (economic, military and political) eventually leads to conflict

  • International law will be ignored if states gain no benefit from following it,  potentially leading to conflict 

Examples that support a realist view

• Russia ignores widespread condemnation for its invasion of Ukraine

  • Despite being a permanent member of the Security Council, it has violated numerous international laws in the process

• Despite decades of interventions by global governance institutions and other states, Israel ignored calls for settlements to be halted in territories that legally belong to Palestinians

  • It ignores widespread condemnation from multiple actors and breaks many international laws

  • Israel also continues to persist in its use of disproportional force in a war against Palestinians as an act of genocide

• A realist would argue these examples constitute strong evidence that states are only interested in their own gains and that there is no power greater than that of the state

The security dilemma

• In realism. the security dilemma is the idea that actions taken by a state to increase its own security can unintentionally make other states feel less secure, leading to rising tension and conflict - even when no one wants war

• The Security Dilemma is sometimes called a spiral model

  • In an anarchical world system each state is only concerned with itself

  • Conflict is inevitable even if all states recognise that it is not in their best interest