Royal University of Phnom Penh

Department of International Studies

Course: IR102
Instructor: BCSB
Week 2 & 3: Intro to IR and Realism
Semester 2, Year 1, 2021
 Content
1. What Is IR?
2. History of the Modern State System
3. Key Definitions
4. Balance of Power
5. Power Distribution in International Politics
6. Realism
7. Classical Realism
8. Neorealism
9. Neoclassical realism
10. Absolute Gain Vs. Relative Gain
11. Levels of Analysis (Individual, State & System)
What is IR?

• International Relations (IR) is the “study

of the interactions among the various
actors that participate in international
politics” (Mingst et al. 2019).

• Actors:
• State actor
• Nonstate actor
State Actor
• Every sovereign state
that is recognized by
the United Nations
and/or fellow states
(e.g., Cambodia)

4
 Sources of State Power
Natural sources: geography,
natural resources, population

Tangible sources: industrial

potential, infrastructure, military

Intangible sources: national

prestige, cultural appeal, leadership
5
5 Fundamental Values States Must Provide to Citizens

Security

Welfare Freedom

State

Justice Order
6
 5 Fundamental Values States Must Provide to its People
1. Security: The state must do everything to protect its people from internal and
external dangers.
2. Freedom: The state must protect its national independence and the freedom of its
people. => “We cannot be free unless our country is free.”
3. Order: The state is expected to follow international law, norms, and commitment
to keep peace among themselves.
4. Justice: The state is expected to uphold domestic law, maintain equal justice, and
respect for human rights for its people.
5. Welfare: The state must adopt policies that create economic growth, jobs, income,
social welfares, trade, and commerce that maintain its people’s prosperity.

7
Non-State Actors

• Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs):

United Nations
• Multinational corporations (MNCs):
Starbucks, Adidas, Nike & Pepsi-Cola
• Terrorist/militant groups: ISIS, al-Qaeda,
Taliban, Hezbollah
• Civil society: Human Rights Watch, Amnesty
International, ICRC
• Mainstream media: CNN, Fox News, NBC
• Private individuals: ordinary citizens

8
 Sovereign
states

Terrorist
Civil society
groups

International
Relations
MNCs IGOs

Media Individuals
Monday, July 5, 2021 9
 History

International
Law Sociology

International
Relations (IR)

Anthropology
Psycholog
y

Economic Political
s Science
History of the Modern State System
• Throughout history, human have lived under different
political organizations such as tribe, city-state, and
empire.
• 1618-1648: The Thirty Years’ War in Central Europe.
• In 1648, the War ended and European countries signed
the “Treaties of Westphalia” to respect what later
become “state sovereignty.”
• Since 1648, the European model of sovereign state has
spread globally and become the “International state
system.”
• According to the Treaties, state can choose their own
religion, determine their own domestic policies, is free
from external pressure, and can exercise power within its
territory.
History of the
Modern State
System
• According to French philosopher Jean
Bodin (1530-1596), sovereignty is “the
absolute and perpetual power vested
in the commonwealth.”
• States can choose their own religion,
determine their own domestic policies, is
free from external pressure, and can
exercise power within its territory.
 Key Definitions
• Sovereignty: State’s ability to exercise absolute power over its internal and external
affairs without interference from anyone.

• Legitimacy: Consent given to the ruler by the ruled.

• Imperialism: Annexation of distant territory and its people to an empire.

• Colonialism: Settling of people from a home country among indigenous people of

a distant place.
 Key Definitions
• Capitalism: An economy system and theory that creates opportunities for every
individual to earn what is economically rational with very minimal government
intervention.
• Socialism: An economic system and theory that believes that the means of productions
must be collectively owned by the community. Socialism => Communism
• International order: The body of rules, norms, and institutions that govern relations
between the key players on the international stage (WEF, 2017).
• Norms: Expectation behaviors of actors with a given identity (Mingst et a. 2019)
• Hegemon: A superpower that is predominant among other states.
• Example: The United States at the end of the Cold War.
 Anarchy in International System
• Anarchy: The state of chaos due to the absence of absolute authority who can rule
everyone and punish those who harm others.
• Anarchy refers to the situation when there is no authority that can create laws, apply them,
and solve dispute in the international system. (Mingst et al. 2021)
• Domestic politics: The government creates law to bind the people.
• International politics: There is no global government that creates law to punish the state.=> Anarchy?

• The international system is like a jungle filled with dangerous animals that always look out
for its own safety and survival first and foremost.
• States must self-help and care for their own safety since nobody can protect them from
dangers.
Monday, July 5, 2021 16
 Balance of Power
• Balance of power refers to the situation when states or a group of states try to match
its power against that of its enemy. (Example: U.S. Vs. USSR during the Cold War)
• Why is balance of power extremely important?
• Balance of power preserves stability and deterrence that discourage all sides from
going to war due to similar level of capabilities.
• “States will hesitate to start a war with an adversary whose power to fight and win wars is
relatively balanced because the risk of defeat is high” (Mingst et al. 2019).
• If A is weaker than B => B may go to war against A because it knows it can win.
• If A and B are equally strong => A and B avoid war because the chance of winning is
small, and the risk of losing is high due to their similar capabilities.
 Balance of Power
I have a I have one too.
strong
military.

The United States and China each

possesses similar capabilities.
Therefore, they avoid direct war
because the risk of losing is high for
both of them.
 Balance of Power
• States can balance each other’s power through 2 ways:

• Internal balancing: States increase their power and resources by buying new
weapons, growing its economy, and enhance their domestic progress to compete in
the international system and prevent an enemy from becoming too powerful.

• External balancing: States strengthen power by creating alliances and improve

international cooperation with other states in order to respond to a rising
power/hegemon.
Debrief
Power Hierarchy in Global Affairs
Hegemon
(United States
1991 and 2010)

Major power
(China, Russia, EU,
UK)
Middle-power (Japan, South
Korea, Australia, New
Zealand, Indonesia)

Small power (Cambodia, Laos,

Myanmar, Brunei, Singapore)
Levels of Global Affairs
International
System

State

National
government

Individual
Global Power Distribution/System Polarity
• Polarity refers to the “distribution of capabilities among states in the international
system by counting the number of “poles” (states or groups of states) where material
power is concentrated” (Mingst et al. 2019). => Arrangement of power among states

Unipolarity

Polarity

Bipolarity Multipolarity
 Unipolarity (1 Dominant Power)
• Unipolar system is “one in which the power to conquer all other states in the system
combined resides within a single state” (Mingst et al. 2019).
 Unipolarity (1 Dominant Power)
• Is unipolarity a stable system?
• Yes, because the hegemon can use its power to threaten and convince
other states to comply with its will and that nobody is capable enough to
challenge it.
• No. The reason is that since the hegemon is too powerful, it is hard for
other states to punish or balance against it. Therefore, the hegemon can
abuse its power and act aggressively toward others.
 Bipolarity (2 Dominant Powers)
• Bipolar system is one “in which the distribution of the power to conquer is
concentrated in 2 states or coalitions of states” (Mingst et al. 2019).
• Example: The U.S. and NATO Vs. The USSR and Warsaw Pact
 Bipolarity (2 Dominant Powers)
• Bipolarity can be more stable than other systems because:

• The two sides tend to negotiate issues and fight proxy wars rather go to direct military
confrontation.

• The two sides constantly check and balance each other’s power=> Balance of power

• According to Kenneth Waltz, in a bipolar system, “the two sides are able both to
moderate the other’s use of violence and to absorb possibly destabilizing damages”
(Mingst et al. 2011)
Monday, July 5, 2021 28
 Multipolarity (More than 2 Dominant Powers)
• Multipolarity system is one “in which the distribution of the power to conquer is
concentrated in more than 2 states” (Mingst et al. 2019).
 Multipolarity (More than 2 Dominant Powers)
• Is multipolarity a stable system? => Yes. Why?
• All sides have similar capabilities => Balance of power => Deterrence => Peace

• All sides tend to follow norms, observe the law, form alliances.

• If war occurs, it is limited in nature and does not spread globally.

• Multipolarity can be hard to achieve due to a large number of poles in the system.
Which system is the least stable? Why?
Which system is the most stable? Why?
What does the current system look like today?
Debrief
Realism Theory
 What is a theory?
• “A theory is a collection of proposition that combine to explain phenomena by
specifying the relationship among a set of concepts” (Mingst et al. 2019).
• Example: Dark sky leads to rain.
• Example: Smoking cigarette leads to lung cancer.

• To determine whether a theory is true or not, we form hypotheses and test them.
• Hypothesis refers to specific falsifiable statements that question the proposed
relationship among two or more concepts.
• Studying hard + patience => Get an A grade?
• Procrastination + laziness => Get a D grade?
• Too much anime + no study => Get an F grade?
 Realism
• Realism is a predominant theory in IR, which focuses mainly on international anarchy and
conflicts that must be resolved by wars between states.
• Realism = Pessimistic (negative) views of the world
• There are 3 branches of realism:
1. Classical Realism
• Thucydides, Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, and Han S. Morgenthau
2. Neorealism
• Kenneth Waltz, John J. Mearsheimer, Thomas Schelling
3. Neoclassical realism
Classical Realism
• Classical realism refers to the early version
of the realist school of thoughts developed
by Thucydides, Niccolò Machiavelli,
Thomas Hobbes, and Hans Morgenthau.

• Each of them emphasizes international

anarchy and selfish character of human
beings, which lead to fear and endless war.
Thucydides
• Thucydides was one of the greatest ancient Greek
historians who lived between 460 BC and 404 BC.
• He was the author of a book called “History of the
Peloponnesian War,” which recorded the power
struggle between Athens and Sparta in the 5th
Century BC.
• His account was the first piece of history and analysis
of war between states in international relations.
Thucydides
• Key points in Thucydides’ teaching of IR:
• Inequality is “inevitable” and “natural.”
• Because states have different capabilities, they must
always adapt to the current situation in order to
survive, dominate others, and become prosperous.
• States who can adapt will survive and those who
fail will be destroyed eventually.
• International relations is constant anarchy.
Therefore, states have no choice but to accept the
fact and adapt accordingly.
Monday, July 5, 2021 41
Thucydides
• According to Thucydides, realism has 4 assumptions:
1. State is the principal actor in international
relations
2. State acts as a unitary actor. (speak in one voice)
3. State is a rational actor that weighs between
costs and benefits of each decision carefully.
4. State cares most about survival and security.
Niccolò
Machiavelli
• Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an
Italian political philosopher. He was born
in a wealthy family, got educated in law,
then worked as a secretary of the
Florentine republic.
• He wrote a famous work called “The
Prince,” which describes how a political
leader should act to stay in power and
protect his country’s interest.
Niccolò
Machiavelli
• A good leader must not be restricted by religious
values and morality, because it would negatively
affect his judgement.
• The citizen depend on the leader to rule and protect
them. Therefore, he must always anticipate the
surrounding situation, act preemptively, and take
advantages to protect his state when an opportunity
presents itself.
• For Machiavelli, IR is primarily about “survival.”
Niccolò Machiavelli
• A leader must be both a lion and a fox.
• A state must be strong; otherwise, it will be dominated by
others. => A lion (power)
• A state must also be smart and ruthless in protecting its
interest through what ever means necessary. => A fox
(deception)
• In IR, the most important values that every leader must
protect at all costs are national independence and
survival.
• International politics is a dangerous place that requires
states to always look for way to defend themselves.
Monday, July 5, 2021 46
Niccolò
Machiavelli
• Fear of being punished by the rulers
makes the citizen more obedient than
their love and admiration for you. That is
why if asked to choose between fear and
love, a leader is better off being feared.

• “Beware of what is happening. Do not

wait for things to happen. Anticipate the
motives and actions of others. Do not
wait for others to act. Act before they
do.” (Jackson & Sorenson 2013)
Thomas Hobbes
• Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was a
British political philosopher known for
his pessimistic imagine of human being
without the state. => The state of
nature
• Hobbes’ state of nature refers to the
pre-modern period when there is no
peace among men and permanent war
of “every man against every man.”
• For Hobbes, life in the state of nature
(without a government) is “solitary,
poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
Thomas Hobbes
• To survive, men agree to give up some of
their rights and form a sovereign state that
can maintain peace and order among then.
State of nature => solved
• However, when it comes to IR, the state
of nature among sovereign states is
permanent because it is impossible to
create a global government.
• In IR, states are constantly at risk of being
attacked by others. Security and survival
are not always guaranteed.
 Everyone is
killing everybody
because there is
no government
in the state of
nature.

Monday, July 5, 2021 50

Thomas Hobbes
• Security dilemma: refers to states’ constant
fear for security and survival in international
relations and their desire to gain more power
over others.

• Men can solve domestic state of nature by

forming a government, but they cannot do the
same with international relations. That is why
war between states is a constant threat that will
never end and there will be no peace at all.
Hans Morgenthau

• Hans Morgenthau (1904-1980) is the most influential

realist theorist in the 20th century.
• He was born in Germany and moved to the United States.
He taught at the University of Chicago for over 30 years
and wrote a famous book titled “Politics Among
Nations.”
• Morgenthau is known as the “father of classical
realism” theory due to his groundbreaking analysis on
the role of power in international relations.
• He believes in the pessimistic view of human being.
• Morgenthau drew his studies from scholars such as
Thucydides, Machiavelli, and Hobbes.
Hans Morgenthau

• According to Morgenthau, human are political animal

who are born to endlessly pursue power.
• International peace and security are impossible to
achieve because states always fights for power.
• “Politics is a struggle for power over men, and
whatever its ultimate aim may be, power is its
immediate goal and the modes of acquiring,
maintaining, and demonstrating it determine the
technique of political power” (Morgenthau 1965)
Monday, July 5, 2021 54
Hans Morgenthau

• Since humans enjoy being free from fear and threats,

they must use power to make that happen through
whatever necessary.
• Since the international system is anarchy, war can be
used as a justification in the struggle of power
between states.
• Like Machiavelli, political morality is not compatible
with private morality.
• In IR, leaders may need to steal, cheat, or spy on
others as long as he can keep his people free and safe.
Hans Morgenthau

• 6 principles Morgenthau’s classical realism:

1. Politics is permanently self-interested.
2. Politics cannot be affected by morality.
3. IR is an area of conflicting self-interests between
states.
4. In IR, a leader must not limit himself to private
ethics. He needs to do everything (good or bad)
to protect his people and his nation’s interest
5. Classical realism oppose who want to impose their
ideologies on others.
6. In IR, we need to recognize the fact that humans
are greedy and imperfect.
 Realism
• Realism = Pessimistic (negative) views of the world
• Realism believes that the state is the most important actor in international system because there
is no one else above the state.

• 4 key assumptions in Realism theory (Jackson & Sorenson2013):

1. Realism adopts a very pessimistic views of human being, believing that humans are
selfish and self-interested that will do everything to look after themselves only.
2. International relations are conflictual and that only wars can solve conflict between states.
3. In IR, security and survival always come first.
4. There is little progress in IR, because states will always try to get more power over
others. As a result, there will always be conflicts and wars. The cycle keeps repeating itself.
Monday, July 5, 2021 58