Realism is a method to study and practice international politics. It is the oldest form of international relations in political history. It takes an approach where it emphasizes all world politics deals with the pursuit of power, and states fight for the control of this power. It makes the assumption that all states are only motivated by national interests, which mostly is applied and presented as moral concerns. Realists believe that power can be achieved through strength. They believe that states should go after interests which are only possible to achieve. They also imply that states should not go after the interests of its opponent as that will merely cause a war.Thomas Hobbes, who lived between, 1588 and 1679, was known as Forefather of Realism, in his famous book, Leviathan, he says if any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless both cannot enjoy, they become enemies andendeavor to destroy or subdue one other. This is the basic idea around which Realism is based, that is, conflict is inevitable.Hans Morgenthau was also one of the great thinkers of realism, he lived between 1904 and 1980, he was convinced that politics is essentially a struggle for power, and in his most famous book, Politics Among Nations, he explains this conviction by saying, "... the struggle for power is universal in time and space and is an undeniable fact of experience ... Even though anthropologists have shown that certain primitive people seem to be free from desire for power, nobody has yet shown how their state of mind and the conditions under which they live can be recreated on a worldwide scale so as to eliminate the struggle for power from the international scene". He also argued that if a state does not participate in a struggle, it would probably fall victim to the power of others. In short, he implied that states would have to participate to survive.Realists believe that political struggle between states and people is inevitable becaus...
