Kenneth N. Waltz (1924-2013) is a significant figure in international relations, particularly for developing the theory of neorealism, which emphasizes the anarchical nature of the international system and the behavior of states. His key works include 'Man, the State and War' (1959) and 'Theory of International Politics' (1979), where he asserts that states are rational actors that seek to maximize power in an inherently competitive environment. Waltz's framework highlights the importance of the distribution of capabilities among states and the concept of balance of power, arguing that these factors shape state interactions and the potential for conflict.

1. Kenneth N. Waltz
By Muhammad Arslan Amir Khokhar

2. Kenneth N. Waltz
(1924-2013)

3. Brief History
• He received his MA at Columbia University in 1950.
• 1954: concludes his doctorate
• 1959: publishes his thesis in the book "Man, the State and War”, a theoretical analysis. New
York, Columbia University Press.
• Basis of theoretical construction of neorealism twenty years
• It is from this fundamental work that Waltz takes away the important notion of the peculiar
and structural character of the international environment.

4. Theory of International Politics (1979)
• The theory must allow the analyst to explain what is going on and make predictions of what will happen.
• For providing a structural analysis of international politics, Waltz said, that his realism was a structural
realism.
• Why was there always war? Waltz responds that the existence of international anarchy is the cause of the
continuing recurrence of wars in the S.I.

5. Realists agree on six points about the
international reality
1. States are the basic units of study and form the most important component for the study of international
politics.
2. Due to the lack of a supranational entity, one of the defining characteristics of SI is anarchy; States must
rely solely on their own means to ensure their survival.
3. States try to maximize their strategic power.
4. States behave rationally.
5. The state action is based on the calculations of power-power between the other states.
6. The asymmetric distribution of power-in the S.I. is the main responsible for the pattern of behavior of the
States and the main determinant in their foreign policy.

6. The main variable in the international system,
for the realists, is;
 The latter, together with the expansionist disposition of the States, would be responsible for the situation
of potential conflict, of constant rivalry in the world scenario.
 The states would seek to maximize their power and, to the extent that power induces a game of somazero,
the search to implement the national interest, that is, the increase of power of one state would result in
the decrease of the power of the others.
 The tendency of the system, led by the behavior of the states, would be to reach a situation of
equilibrium, known among classic realists as a balance of power, "in which all states would be inhibited by
the power of others“
 "Kenneth Waltz, a neo-realist, developed a systemic theory drawn from realistic conceptions.
 "A new trend within realism, questioning previous conceptions and introducing the question of security in
international relations."

7. The International System can be defined in terms of:
• Structure + Units in interaction
 Structure Features:
1. Ordering principle.
2. Characteristics of your units.
3. Distribution of resources (capacities) between the units of the system.

8. Ordering principle
• Waltz understands that there are two - and only two - possibilities of computer principles: hierarchical and
anarchic.
 Hierarchical: the ordering of interactions between units can be determined by an instance
higher than the units.
 Anarchic: In the absence of an instance superior to the units, the order is produced by the
aggregate result of the individual decisions and behaviors of the units.

9. Characteristics of your units
 In international relations, units are characterized by the self-help system: there is no specialization
possible, and all units have to fulfill the same essential functions, which are: ensuring their survival,
managing conflicts, formulating policy make decisions and enforce them.
 Units perform similar functions.
 The impossibility of the international division of labor in international relations stems from the fact that
anarchy is the computer principle of r.i ..

10. Distribution of resources (capacities)
between the units of the system
• States do not have functional differences between them, so the difference between units of S.I. is given by
variations in the ability to perform similar functions as defense, economic policy, provision of education and
health services, etc.
• This differentiated capacity may even serve to reinforce or intensify the rules that favor them, or it may allow an
even greater capacity for differentiated appropriation of systemic resources, such as: "size of population and
territory, natural resources, economic capacity, military force, political stability and competence.“
• In anarchic systems, the international rules themselves will be a product of the interactions between the units of
the system, and will be determined by the greater or lesser ability of each to impose their preferences
• SI state units are "distinguished primarily by their greater or lesser power to perform similar tasks ... the structure
of a system changes according to the transformations in the distribution of capabilities between the units of the
system" (Waltz 1979, p.97).

11. Changes in the structure of the international system could be made only:
i. By a change in the first aspect of the structure, that is, in its principle of ordering (transforming the S.I
from anarchic to hierarchical)
ii. By a change in the distribution of capacities between the units.
• The asymmetric distribution between the units would be the source of security and insecurity in the
system, but the characteristics of anarchy would tend to be balanced: balance of power.
• "With two great powers only, it is expected that both will maintain the system" (Waltz 1979: 204), since in
upholding the system, the powers guarantee themselves. According to this view, the Cold War was a
period of international peace and stability.
• "In short, anarchy, the asymmetric distribution of power, the balance of power, the expansionist
disposition of states, and the security dilemma all create a condition in which conflict is an imminent
possibility, a latent threat."

12. ANY QUESTIONS ?