Realism

Machiavelli once said "One state shouldn’t forfeit its self interest in order to fulfill the international ethic because the truth is the moral principles of this universe doesn’t exist."

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli

Realism stresses human ego (egoism) and anarchy that focuses on power, war among the great powers and security competition. It has dominated the study of international relations for past fifty years. Why’s that? It is well-established as it provides the most powerful explanation for war’s state as the regular condition of life in international system. The major actor in realism is state, to define the essential core of realism we can also view the environment which states inhabit is a dangerous place.

Historically it was established as a reaction to the idealism between world war 1 and world war 2. Realist considered the theory of idealist is weak by underestimating power and by too much upholding the human rationality. All the debates about power, rationality, mutual interest, and war started to emerge on the new generation of realism period (Morgenthau, Carr, Niebuhr, etc) in 1930s where they want to stress on the struggle of power and natural wars of politic among nations although the idea actually has already emerged earlier before by Machiavelli, Rosseau, Hobbes (Classical Realism)

So, state relentlessly seek for power because the realist think that state can trust nobody, they don’t want to be interdependent, they will never know who will attack them or maybe which one is planning to attack later therefore power is crucial. Each state is responsible to ensure its own survival, it isn’t prudent for a state to trust on others, in short state shouldn’t depend on others. It is also understood as self-help, where nothing can help you but yourself.  Survival is also crucial in realism. In order to survive the state needs national interest, by the pursuit of power, the more power they have the easier they get the national interest so they will survive.

There is an assumption in realism saying that there’s no such thing as “supra authority” in international environment, there is no higher power that can rule others. Meanwhile each state pursue to get their national interest. This condition of anarchy will make it crucial to maintain the balance of power.

Realist don’t believe model-headed scheme would provide perpetual peace in the world based on natural harmony of interest among the states instead they see it in the term of tragedy, it is a cruel world so the best you can do is try to be the best and survive. Realist would live in diversity. 

Conclusion:
The Realist are...

-Being pessimistic towards the human nature that human tend to be nice. Otherwise the realist, naturally human is cruel, ambitious, struggle for power, war, rule, and doesn’t want to cooperate

-Being skeptic towards international politic development and domestic politic

-Seeing international relations has characteristic of conflictual or has the potential to create conflict. And those conflicts only can be solved with war

-Upholding the national security and the survival of state