In spite of its pessimistic and unromantic account of politics and human nature, realism has nonetheless remained one of the most enduring and influential schools of thought in political thought. In this course, we will look at two of the most important thinkers in this school. The theory of political realism argues that power and interests are the primary motivators of states and this tends to drive them into competition and conflict. We will look at the ancient Athenian historian Thucydides whose History of the Peloponnesian War’s dramatic and often harrowing account of the conflict between Athens and Sparta illustrates the principles of political realism. Thucydides produces a brilliant analysis of statecraft in the classical age of Greece that retains its relevance today. Then we will look at John Mearsheimers works The Tragedy of Great Power Politics and The Great Delusion. Mearsheimer is one of the most influential contemporary realists of our time and a critic of liberal internationalism. We try to pair the ancient and the modern to show some of their differences and similarities. Mearsheimer is an offensive realist who thinks that the anarchy of the international system drives states into security competition and leads them to attempt to expand their power. Thucydides discusses security dilemmas but also the permanence of human nature, and the vital significance of human leadership and decision-making in understanding politics. Perhaps, more importantly, our course will shed light on the continuities of realist principles across thousands of years of human history that make an ancient classic like that of Thucydides truly (as he called it) a possession for all time.
