Realist Theory of International Relations Term Paper

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More precisely, the sovereignty promoted by the realists acknowledges the fact that the state has the right to accept or refuse to take part in a regime. Therefore, event the regimes promoted by institutionalism still depend on the actual will of the states.

The United Nations represents a valid example in this sense. Therefore, its structure was indeed created on the basis of the idealist line of thought, giving equal representation rights to nations all over the world. However, the Security Council structure is reminiscent of the realist beliefs of the powerful ruling over the weaker ones. In this sense, while the institutional approach was used in creating the idea of a global organization that would discuss war issues and would engage in peaceful resolution of conflicts, the SC is the classical structure of the balance of power situation. This is one of the reasons for which the United Nations system worked only partially during the Cold War. While the Realist theory could not full account for the existence of the UN, institutionalism couldn't either. However, the realist perception also considers the existence of institutions, just not as essential parts of the system, whereas institutionalism does not view the maintenance of the balance of power to be an option.

The international system from the realist perspective is also considered to be an environment of elements which act in a rational manner.

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More precisely, in their quest for supremacy, the state follows precisely its foreign policy issues and acts accordingly. The raison d'etat guides them in their struggle for supremacy and in this sense the international law system is made only to offer guiding rules, not to impose them (Russbach, 1994). However, the opponents of this belief argue that the international law system is particularly designed to set the boundaries of state conduct in the limits of universally accepted principles. In any situation however, the legal framework established through the various war conventions and the acts presented by the UN reflect the view of weak states rather than strong ones. Therefore, it can be argued that the legal systems established through the UN conventions are mere tools for survival. However, they are not followed all the time, and particularly by countries that are still considering the realistic approach and the desire for power.

Overall it can be concluded that there is no particular theory that could justify the precise evolution and future trends in world politics. However, the realist theory appears to be the one endowed with the most applicable theoretical paradigms that could explain the directions of foreign policy and international relations. Any other theoretical approach falls short of offering a comprehensive consideration of the events we are living today......

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