Power, according to the dominant tradition in the study of international affairs, is the currency of international politics. The idea is that, since international relations occur between states, they themselves are not subject to rules developed by sovereigns, that they are dictated by considerations of power and not of law or ethics. This course will engage the "realist" tradition on three levels. First, we will consider key realist thinkers, reading their central works and analyzing their central concepts (power, states, ethics.). Second, we will review what realists have had to say about one of the fundamental issues in realist thought (the causes of World War I) and what they are now saying about a critical contemporary issue (probably the war in Bosnia). Finally, we will consider critiques of realist thinking: what do realists not explain and what responses can be made to its amoralism? Requirements: two papers and a final exam.
MACDONALD