Realism and International Security

Module title	Realism and International Security
Module code	POL3207
Academic year	2024/5
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr David Blagden (Lecturer)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	30

Module description

Between 1945 and the end of the Cold War, “realism” was the dominant approach to the study of international politics. Having perceived the vision of liberal international order embodied in the League of Nations system to have failed in its aspirations to contain aggression prior to 1939, scholars and statesmen alike entered the Cold War determined to view international politics “realistically”: as it was, in their view, rather than as they may have wished it to be. The sudden unravelling of the Soviet empire and superpower confrontation of the late 1980s and early 1990s appeared to pose a critical challenge to foreign-policy realism’s intellectual hegemony, however; realist theory and theorists alike were accused of an inability to predict or explain such sudden, radical, and seemingly progressive change. The post-Cold War world, meanwhile, has seen liberal and particularly constructivist approaches to international politics – in which international outcomes are explained more through reference to ideas and identities than realism’s focus on the material power of states – come to the fore.

This module will provide you with an opportunity to investigate the relevance or otherwise of realist thought to contemporary international politics in general, and security policy in particular. What do realists think, what is the causal logic of their theory, and how strong is their evidence? What charges do critics of realism level against it, and how compelling is their case? Does realist thought still have applicability in the contemporary international system? What does realist thinking imply for states’ choices of national security strategy? And how do realist ideas manifest themselves in specific policy/issue areas: military threat assessment, contemporary Western relations with states like Russia and China, the (dis)advantages of trade and economic interdependence, nuclear weapons and deterrence, terrorism, and so forth? You will address all of these questions and more to leave you with a clearer idea of how central, enduring ideas in international theory – the balance of power, uncertainty over others’ intentions and capabilities, international-systemic anarchy, and so on – affect real-world policy questions in the present day.

Students taking this module may benefit from having previously undertaken first- or second-year modules in international relations theory and/or security studies, but it is not a binding requirement. The module will be pitched with an assumption of no prior knowledge, providing a basic introduction to the genesis and logic of realist thought, before progressing to consider key conceptual debates within realist theory and finally assessing the applicability of these ideas to real-world contemporary security policy.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will provide you with:

An introduction to the genesis and logic of realist thought in international relations;
An understanding of key fault-lines within realism, and between realism and its critics;
A sense of the enduring relevance – or otherwise – of realist thought in the contemporary international system; and
An ability to apply theoretical ideas to real-world problems of national and international security.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of key issues involving realist thought and its competitors, as applied to international security
2. Critically apply knowledge of realist thought to contemporary problems of war, stability, and national security policy

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Display a thorough understanding of the evolution of strategic theory and international relations theory, and their utility for contemporary decision-making;
4. Exercise informed judgement about change and continuity in international relations;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Conduct independent research, exercise critical judgement, and write clearly and persuasively; and
6. Analyse complex and fast-changing problems and to have the confidence individually and as part of a group to design and advocate workable strategic solutions.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

the historical genesis of realist thought in international politics,
variations of realist argument, and the criticisms that get levelled against them,
the implications of realist logic for enduring questions of international security, such as prospects for international cooperation, the role of nuclear weapons, and so forth, and
the applicability of realist arguments to contemporary security challenges, such as NATO-Russian relations, the rise of China, the possible demise of US global dominance, UK defence policy, and so forth.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	22	11 x 2 hour seminars
Guided independent study	50	Private study - reading and preparing for seminars
Guided independent study	78	Preparation for essay - including researching and collating relevant sources; planning the structure and argument; writing up the essay

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay Plan	Max. 500 words	1-6	Written

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	100	3,000 words	1-6	Written feedback by tutor
	0
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay (3,000 words)	1-6	August/September re-assessment period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

(This reading list is indicative – it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list.)

Hans J. Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace (New York: Knopf, 1978 (5^th ed.)), esp. pp. 4-15 (‘Six Principles of Political Realism’)

Kenneth N. Waltz, Theory of International Politics (New York: Random House, 1979)

John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (New York: Norton, 2001)

Charles L. Glaser, Rational Theory of International Politics: The Logic of Competition and Cooperation (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2010)

Nuno P. Monteiro, Theory of Unipolar Politics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014)

Stephen G. Brooks and William C. Wohlforth, World Out of Balance: International Relations and the Challenge of American Primacy (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008)

Patrick Porter, The Global Village Myth: Distance, War, and the Limits of Power (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2015)

Keir A. Lieber, War and the Engineers: The Primacy of Politics over Technology (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2005)

Daryl G. Press, Calculating Credibility: How Leaders Assess Military Threats (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2005)

Robert Jervis, ‘Cooperation Under the Security Dilemma’, World Politics 30:2 (January 1978), pp. 167-214.

Robert Jervis, The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution: Statecraft and the Prospect of Armageddon (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1989)

Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War (London: Penguin, 2000 (431 B.C.))

Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (London: Penguin, 2003 [1532])

Edward Hallett Carr, The Twenty Years’ Crisis, 1919-1939: An Introduction to the Study of International Relations (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001 [1939])

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996 [1651])

Key words search

Realism, International Relations, Strategic Studies, International Security, Diplomacy, Defence, Foreign Policy

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	6
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	01/05/2016
Last revision date	21/01/2022