The document outlines the key concepts of realism in foreign policy, focusing on groupism, egoism, and power-centrism. It categorizes realism into classical realism, neorealism, and neoclassical realism, highlighting their varying interpretations of political behavior in an anarchic international system. Additionally, it discusses theoretical frameworks like the balance of power, balance of threat, hegemonic stability theory, and power transition theory, illustrating their relevance with historical examples.

1. Foreign Policy
Unit 2
Realism and Foreign
Policy

2. Unit Outcomes:
By the end of the unit the learner will:
• Understand how Realism relates to
the practice of Foreign Policy
• Understand the main pitfalls of
applying Realist theories to Foreign
Policy Analysis

3. Realism is based on three core
assumptions on how the world works
1. Groupism
-nation-states are the most NB human
groups
- cohesion provided by group solidarity
and source of in-group cohesion is
nationalism.

4. 2. Egoism
- self – interest drives political behaviour
- rooted in human behaviour
- Inhumanity is just humanity under pressure
3.Power –centrism
- power is the fundamental feature
- inequalities of power and resources

5. • Politics is likely to be conflictual unless
there is some central authority to
enforce order.
• Anarchy – no authority exists, state can
resort to force to get what it wants
• This creates a security dilemma

6. Theoretical Schools within
Realism
• Classical Realism
• Neorealism
– Defensive Realists
– Offensive Realists
• Neoclassical realism

7. Classical Realism
• Thucydides – middle years of the Cold War
• Egoism, nature of man
• Kenneth Waltz translated core themes -
deductive top down theoretical framework
known as neorealism
• The mere existence of groups in anarchy can
lead to powerful competitive pressure

8. Defensive Realists
• Under very common conditions the war –
causing potential of anarchy is attenuated.
• The stronger group identity is (nationalism)
the harder it is to conquer other groups
• The harder the conquest the more secure the
state will be.
• Conquest may seem hard today due to
technology, geography and national identity
• Look inside states for causes of war and peace

9. Offensive Realists
• More persuaded by conflict-generating,
structural potential of anarchy itself.
• With no authority – could never be certain
that any peace-causing condition today would
remain operative in the future
• Reinforce classical realist argument about the
competitive nature of life under anarchy

10. Neoclassical Realism
• The actions of a state in the international
system can be explained by domestic variables
affecting the power of the decision-makers
within a state.
• States' mistrust and inability to perceive one
another accurately can result in an imbalance.
• Defensive and Offensive make it easier to
perform key metal experiments in FPA

11. Theories within Realism
• Balance of power – internal balancing and
external balancing
• Balance of Threat – states will balance against
threats (aggregate capabilities, geography and
perceptions of aggressive intentions)
• E.g. After the end of WWII the US started
internal and external balancing

12. • Hegemonic Stability Theory – powerful states
tend to seek dominance - hierarchy
• E.g. globalisation order is sustained by US
power
• Power Transition theory – explain how orders
break down into war
• E.g. As China gets stronger, the more likely it
will oppose the US led global order and a Cold
War style rivalry will become likely.