Liberalism and Realism - International Relations Essay

Liberalism and Realism - International Relations - Essay Example Looking from the above text, we can infer the position that realism proposes the understanding that politics is a game played between individuals for their personal gain and that the whole agenda of international politics goes beyond morality, ideology and social reconstructions, and the focus is generally relied upon national security and stability within the political framework of the country. Realism is a pessimistic theory which emphasis the fact that national security and development has to happen due to the competition which the nation state possess from outside its borders, and therefore the need for change and adaptation comes more as a necessity rather than a luxury. A realist sees the world from the perspective of his nation state, where the crucial element is the fact that the nation state has to strengthen its own military and national affairs to compete with the rest of the world as politics is at the state of antagonism. â€Å". A liberal, on the other hand, sees interdependence in the world system, a system in which every state cooperates on some level with other states. This cooperation is facilitated by institutions and established norms and ensures that every state maximizes its gain. Absolute gains, therefore, rather than relative gains, are the focus of liberals.† A liberal is in direct contrast to a realist, as he is an optimistic at heart and sees the nature of politics as a means of building relations with the rest of the world. Liberal internationalism idealises the fact that nation states should intervene in each other’s space with regard to military invasion and humanitarian aid, as well as seeking cooperation with respect to the functioning of the governments in different nation states. The theory emphasises the fact that it is important to have interdependency within the framework of working as nation states and one cannot be isolated it total