Realism and its relevance in the contemporary world

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is that of examining the oldest theory in International Relations - that is, Realism - and to see how this theory applies to the contemporary world. Even though I will obviously express my own thoughts, opinions and reflections, this is not the main aim of the thesis. What I will be trying to explain is how and to what extent states in the twentieth century still think in realist terms. It is meant to show how the world actually works, how states act and react to one another and to have a look at who the important actors are in the contemporary world. When I was thinking about ideas for my thesis, many different subjects came to mind, from the Arab-Israeli conflict, to the differences between the Northern Mediterranean basin and the Southern part, to the changes that have taken place in Turkey since the end of World War I. I then realized that I did not want to focus on one specific region, but rather focus on the world as a whole, and try to explain how realist thought explains what is happening around us. In order to do so, I had to first explain the basic principles behind this school of thought, and look at what realist thinkers had to say about them. I then went on to look at the current trends in international relations, and see how accurately realist thought defines them. The major trends I identified were the role of international organizations, when and how states resort to the use of force and how the world developed following the end of the Cold War and the terrorist attacks that took place on 9/11, as well as the major theories that followed them.