ABSTRACT
This chapter describes what a system of sovereign states looks like according to Realists and explains the Realist view of how international relations change and yet remain the same. It discusses the realist view of the role of ordinary people in international relations and governments in international relations. The sort of immoral actions and relationships in which even democratic states engage on occasions will not be surprising, but expectations about progress in international relations should be low. Realists see themselves as theorizing about the world as it actually is and not from how they might like it to be—an approach which they regard as Idealist. They can be criticized for merely asserting that their approach captures the most important aspects of the reality of international relations, rather than making their case for why they should agree with them. Realists maintain that international relations are mainly about power politics.
