ABSTRACT
Realist insistence that states and power remain fundamental to the subject of international organization (IO) and global governance is an important contribution to the understanding of order, organization, and management in world affairs. Realist claims are essential for understanding the arguments and concerns of many other approaches to IO and global governance. This chapter reviews the historical development of IO from a realist perspective, with a focus on the implications of polarity and hegemonic stability for contemporary world order. It discusses a number of current debates among realists involving balancing and power transitions that involve the future of contemporary IO. The chapter argues that the ethical concerns evoked by realism's ongoing pessimism serve as an important check against an undue optimism that masks deep inequalities and exploitations. Realism provides a critical voice to the larger debate about IO and global governance by drawing attention to power politics—reminding the discipline that, despite the fluidity of international politics, some things never change.
