ABSTRACT
The realist criticisms of the utopianism of the post-war liberal agenda were to have an enormous influence on the study of IR (see Chapter 1). In order to appreciate this we need to begin to think in a little more detail about what realism is and why it had such an impact on our subject. In order to achieve this goal this chapter will concentrate primarily on realist schools of thought examining their appeal and principal contributions to our understanding of modern and contemporary world politics. An engagement with realism necessarily entails an exploration of some of the principal opponents of the realist position. In Chapter 4 we will look at the one school of thought, developed in opposition to realism, which can be said to be mainstream or traditional in the same way as realism. Looking at the positions of realists and liberals will give us the opportunity to explore the applicability of realism to contemporary international politics. It will also preface our introduction to the rise of non-state actors in world politics, to globalization and to contemporary approaches to IR in later chapters. Your view of the world is coloured by the assumptions that you bring to it. It is thus essential that we lay out some of the most common assumptions so that you can critically engage with them.
