realists believe states are the primary actors in international relations.
realists believe states are the primary actors in international relations.
who do realists believe are the primary actors in international relations?
states
scholars in international relations can be broken up into two different practices, realists and pluralists, of what they believe the ontological state of the state is. realists believe that the world is one of only states and interstate relations and the identity of the state is defined before any international relations with other states. on the other hand, pluralists believe that the state is not the only actor in international relations and interactions between states and the state is competing against many other actors.









































section::::ontological status of the state.:the state as "spiritual entity".
sovereign state
realists can be divided into three classes based on their view of the essential causes of interstate conflict. classical realists believe it follows from human nature; neorealists attribute it to the dynamics of the anarchic state system; neoclassical realists believe it results from both, in combination with domestic politics. neorealists are also divided between defensive and offensive realism. realists trace the history of their ideas back through classical antiquity, beginning with thucydides.









































jonathan haslam characterizes realism as "a spectrum of ideas." its theories revolve around four central propositions:
realism (international relations)