An Improvement Over Classical Realism Politics Essay

An Improvement Over Classical Realism Politics Essay The neorealist theory of international relations has dominated world politics in the past century. It depicts an anarchic world where states are compelled to act in a certain manner because they are part of an anarchic international system. Although neorealism provides an appealing exposà © for the study of international relations and perceives itself to be an improvement over classical realism, it raises more questions than the answers it provides as I will show throughout this essay. Classical Realists believe that states are the main actors in international relations and they are power maximizers. As Hans Morgenthau, explains in Politics Among Nations, in a world where anarchy is the abiding principle, states will struggle for power because they are managed by policy makers and such is the nature of men. Other institutions and organizations are considered to play a small role but only within a state centric framework. States define international order as anarchic because there i s no central government to quell men’s search for power and their thirst to dominate others. In this eternal struggle peace is achieved through the balance of power, where states try to prevent one state from dominating all the others.   [ 1 ]    During the Cold War a new variant of Morgenthau’s theory appeared under the name of neorealism. The theoretical approach to international politics proposed by Waltz stresses the importance of structure and draws its arguments by applying an economic perspective to international relations. An approach Waltz claims to be more scientific than the one of Morgenthau and classical realism,which he considers to be â€Å"reductionist†. He argues so because it focuses on the subjective decisions of policy makers, and their search for power, as key in shaping the international system. A perspective that excludes the possibility of a structural analysis where the system is perceived to be independent and therefore plays an act ive role in determining state behaviour.   [ 2 ]    In a world still perceived to be anarchic, Waltz separates the internal circumstances of states from the external ones and claims that the international system is autonomous and acts as a whole. International order is shaped by a global structure, which is created by the interaction of states and then forces them into a certain modus operandi.   [ 3 ]   Whereas in Morgenthau the analysis of world politics focused on his negative view of human nature that compelled statesmen in an eternal search for power   [ 4 ]   , Waltz emphasizes the importance of the system in directing their actions. The introduction of the third image systemic analysis as the most important perspective to look at international politics is defined by three ordering principles: anarchy, the function of units and the distribution of capabilities.   [ 5 ]   Anarchy for neorealists is slightly different than for classical realists. As Shimko notes it, if for Morgenthau anarchy was important but merely circumstantial, for Waltz it is one of the defining elements of the system and acts as a â€Å"causal† force.   [ 6 ]   The concept of anarchy also differs in the sense that classical realists believe states search for power and most neorealists tend to advocate that states fight to survive. The outcome in both cases is an anarchic world but their origin is fundamentally different.