ABSTRACT
Issues of power in relations between different actors and societies have been debated since ancient times, when philosophers such as Aristotle and Thucydides deliberated on the nature of the world around them. The term ‘international’ may not have made much sense in those times due to the lack of a concept of the nation state as it is known today, but does this mean that the fundamental manner in which groups of people interact has changed? Have societies moved away from their ancient instincts of fighting for survival and to gain or protect territory? The debate among theorists often seems to boil down to the question of whether this is the case or not.
