Politics among Nations Summary- Hans J. Morgenthau (Chapter 1: A Realist Theory of International Relations)
Politics among Nations: The Struggle for Power and
Peace- Hans J Morgenthau
Chapter 1 Summary: A Realist Theory of
International Relations
Modern political thought has two schools:
1. A
rational moral and political order can be achieved here and now; human nature
is good and infinitely malleable. The failure of social order is a consequence
of lack of knowledge and understanding, outdated social institutions, or the immorality
of certain isolated individuals or groups. Solutions to remedy these effects include
education, reform, and the sporadic use of force.
2. The
world is imperfect because of forces inherent in human nature; moral principles
can never be fully realized. Historic precedents trump abstract principles;
concerned with the realization of the lesser evil rather than the absolute
good. This is called realism.
Six Principles of Political Realism:
2. International politics is the concept of interests defined in terms of power separate from other spheres of action such as economics, ethics, religion, etc. Without this separation, we could not distinguish between political and nonpolitical facts/issues nor bring a measure of systematic order to the political sphere.
a. It is futile and deceptive to search for clues to foreign policy exclusively in the motives of statesmen; history shows no exact and necessary correlation between quality of motives and quality of foreign policy in both moral and political terms.
b. A realist theory avoids equating foreign policy with ideological preferences. Political realism requires a sharp distinction between what is desirable everywhere and at all times and what is possible under concrete circumstances of time and place.
c. Political realism considers a rational foreign policy a good foreign policy; a perfect balance of power policy will scarcely be found in reality.
3. The idea of interest is the essence of politics and is unaffected by the circumstances of time and place.
a. The kind of interest determining political action in a particular period of history depends on the political and cultural context within which foreign policy is formulated; the same goes for the concept of power: its content and the manner of its use are determined by the political and cultural environment
b. Realism does not assume that existing conditions under which foreign policy operates cannot be changed
c. The nation state is the ultimate point of reference of contemporary foreign policy.
d. The transformation of the contemporary world can be achieved only through the manipulation of the recurrent forces that have shaped the past as they will the future
4. Universal moral principles cannot be applied to the actions of states in their abstract universal formulation, but must be filtered through the concrete circumstances of time and place. Prudence, the weighing of the consequences of alternative political actions, is the supreme virtue in politics.
5. Realism refuses to identify the moral ambitions of a particular nation with the moral laws that govern the universe
a. We are able to judge other nations as we judge our own, and having judged them in this fashion, we are capable of pursuing policies that respect the interests of other nations while protecting and promoting our own.
b. Moderation in policy cannot fail to reflect the moderation of moral judgment.
6. The difference between realism and other schools of thought is profound. The political realist maintains autonomy of the political sphere, but recognizes different facets of human nature exist.
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