U7289782 STST1001 Final Exam Question 3 Why is international relations tragic? Compare the view of classical realists with that of neo realists. The theory of realism supports the notion that international relations is tragic. Realists see an essential sameness to history in which any decline in war is merely temporary. In this sense, realists view war as unavoidable in the struggle for power and survival, or in other words, "history is inevitably tragic." The original type of realism is classical realism, pioneered by Machiavelli and Hobbes, and assumes a pessimistic view of human nature and sees that humans are driven by 'self-help' motivations and act out of fear or aggression. Classical realism also believes that the international system is defined by anarchy, which is the absence of any authority superior to nation-states. Due to this, states aim to increase their power in order to increase their security and thus, it can be seen that war is a constant possibility and the international system is inherently tragic. Another popular form of realism is neo-realism. Neo-realism or structural realism, founded by Waltz, views power as the overarching factor in international relations. Neo-realism is similar to classical realism in the sense that it also places large emphasis on the anarchical nature of the international system and that states will act in self-interest. Further, it also views competition, conflict and war as a constant possibility and again, that the international system is inherently tragic. However, classical realism and neo-realism differ in terms of what determines state behaviour. Neo-realists place emphasis on the structure of the international system as opposed to individual units. Word count: 246 Question 5 Violence within human societies has declined, as has war between states. Are these phenomena linked, and if so, how? Societal violence and warfare are inextricably linked, reflecting the current state of the world. The aggressive tendencies of individuals have catalysed numerous wars in the past, reflective of conflict patterns embedded in history. For example, as per Steven Pinker in his article, Taming the devil within us, that prior to civilisation, around "15% of people living in non- state societies died violently." However, the second half of the twentieth century saw a
U7289782 decline in violence. This is supported by the dramatic drop in European homicide rates from about 40 per 100,000 people per year in the fourteenth century to 1.3 at the end of the twentieth century. According to Pinker, the most significant contributor to the drop in violence is reason, as it allows humans to exchange ideas, understand the world around them and discuss social arrangements. The ability to exercise reason more efficiently has led to less violence within society and as a result, there has been a corresponding decline in war between states. This was made evident in the Cold War. Whilst technically a war between states, it strayed from traditional warfare in the sense that no physical violence occurred. This was due to the possible use of nuclear weapons and both the United States'