Thucydides, Machiavelli, and Hobbes and the Concept of Political Realism

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Thucydides, Machiavelli & Hobbes and the Tradition of Classical Political Realism
Introduction
Classical Realism is an international relations theory that attempts to explain the true nature of humans in light of meeting their interests. The theory is part of the realist school of thought, which is based on the assumption that states are the main actors at the international level. The theory suggests that there is no supranational international authority and that states act in their own self-interest. The model believes that all states at the international level prioritize on their self-interests and will take any opportunity available to them to take power for self-preservation. This form of realism differs from the other forms of realism as it mainly focuses on the nature of humans and the domestic politics as the defining feature of the state behavior and the main causes of inter-state conflicts. The classical realist theory adopts a negative perception of the human nature. It categorizes humans as organisms whose prioritizes on their self-interests and will either act out of fear or aggression in safeguarding those interests.
History
Classical Realism began during the interwar period between 19918 and 1939 as an academic field established to study and understand international relations. The classical realism model arose to counter the idealist and utopian theories that had excess prominent at the time. During this period, conflicts were common among different countries as well as communities. The liberal scholars, who were tasked with understanding the causes of the conflicts and how to solve them attributed them to poor social conditions and political systems. During this period, international relations were growing as countries began trading with each other more extensively. However, this trade was also accompanied by the desire by some states to amerce as much wealth as possible. The more powerful nations explored nations that were weak and had more resources in an attempt to establish their control over those states. It was during this time that conflicts among the states increased more significantly and liberal scholars opted to research on the concept and try to establish a solution.
Realism, Liberalism, and the Concept of Peace
The field of international relations features several general theories and theoretical perceptions regarding the international relations. Realism, which is also called political realism, is a perception of international politics that stresses its competitive and conflictive side of the nature of humans. On the contrary, idealism or liberalism tends to focus on cooperation. According to realists, states are the principle actors on the international level and each one is concerned about their own interests. However, realism is not only focused on self-interest, but is also concerned about the morality of the actions. The type of realism that does not acknowledge the presence of ethics is what is called radical or extreme realism. The classical realists do not dispute the possibility of the use of morals in rendering judgment. Instead, these theorists are more critical about moralism. Among the founding fathers of reali...