Classical Realism and International Relations

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Politics - General and Theories of International Politics, University of Botswana, course: International Relations, language: English, abstract: For years, scholars have been using different theories to analyze the way nations interact in the international systems. The purpose of this paper therefore is to discuss the Classical realism theory and apply it under the three recognized levels of analysis.

The first section of the paper will define the key terms, the emergence and the four central assumptions of realism will also be discussed before focusing on Classical realism, to lay a smooth foundation for understanding this theory. The third section of the paper will discuss Classical realism, supporting it with examples. The fourth section will therefore focus on the three levels of analysis, and under each level the theory will be applied with relevant examples. Lastly, a conclusion will be drawn summing up all the main arguments of the paper.