What Lies Ahead: Classical Realism on the Future of International Relations

Abstract

Realism contends that politics is a struggle for power and/or survival, and consequently depicts international politics as a realm of recurrent conflicts among states with very little prospect for change. It is therefore not traditionally regarded as an approach which entertains an idea of progress. E.H Carr famously rejected “pure realism” as an untenable position precisely because it fails to provide “a ground for action,” and advocated finding a delicate balance between realism and utopia, as meaningful political action must include both. While realism certainly entails a degree of pessimism, it is far fetched to claim that realist scholars are radically sceptical about the future of international relations. The article investigates Hans Morgenthau and Raymond Aron, two leading classical realist scholars, and argues that neither advocated a strict version of power politics. On the contrary, they both attempted to find the balance Carr suggested between realist concerns and ideals necessary to spur political action. Both were also very aware of the dangers of nihilism, and upheld hope in the future of humankind, even if this hope remains tempered by pessimism as to whether it will ever realize its destiny.

Pour un « machiavélisme postkantien »

“…En effet, si Raymond Aron veut dissuader ses lecteurs de céder aux « illusions idéalistes », s'il critique le « faux idéalisme » qui demeure une politique littéraire méprisant la réalité et refusant les contraintes de l'action politique, cela ne le conduit pas à prôner un « faux réalisme » qui balayerait d'un revers de main tout espoir de progrès vers une humanité pacifi ée (Cozette 2008a(Cozette , 2008b). …”

Open Horizons: The Temporal Visions of Reflexive Realism

“…In recent years, a host of works have appeared which attest, in varying ways, to the sensibilities of reflexive realism. Some of the classical realists who have been harnessed for a more contemporary context include Hans Morgenthau (Williams 2007a; Cozette 2008a; Cozette 2008b; Guilhot 2008; Tjalve 2008; Bell 2008), Reinhold Niebuhr (Guilhot 2008; Tjalve 2008), John Herz (Stirk 2005), and Raymond Aron (Cozette 2004). Whether using the moniker “reflexive” or not, the scenery of this movement seems broadly coherent.…”

“…This scholarship has begun tackling what we consider to be the central tension in reflexive realism, the notion that politics is “part of man’s never ended attempt to implement what he regards as ethically right, even though this attempt is bound to fall short of the ethical ideal from which it arises” (Cozette 2008a:678). In other words, humans cannot exist without some centering device to remove as much uncertainty as possible.…”

Waltz and the world: Neorealism as international political theory?

“…Whereas neorealism's place within the broader realist tradition is defined by Waltz's attempt to develop a deductive, explanatory theory (Guzzini, 1998;Donnelly, 2000;Molloy, 2006;Behr and Heath, 2009), recent reengagement with realism has emphasized not only its ethical component (Murray, 1997;Lebow, 2003;Williams, 2005), but also its reformist agenda (Cozette, 2008b;Scheuerman, 2011;Schuett, 2011). Realism is increasingly depicted, in contradistinction to neorealism, as a kind of international political theory which, among other things, considers what goods can and should be promoted in international politics.…”