Elman and classical realism

Elman in his opening sentence under the segment on classical realism refers to Carr's work titled 'The twenty years' crisis, 1919-1939'. He stated that classical realism is dated from 1939 after Carr was able to distinguish realism from utopianism (idealism).  

The explanation of classical realism given by Elman is derived from the works of other notable scholars. Among them is Morgenthau, his work forms the basis of political realism. Other American political scientists like Niebuhr and Kennan also feature in Elman's list.

Elman states that in classical realism, the desire for more power is rooted in the flawed nature of humanity. States are continuously engaged in a struggle to increase their capabilities. Elman goes further by saying that because there is no centralize authority to regulate the behaviour of states, states act in their own interest.

We can use the domestic political system to help us understand this structure. In the domestic system, we have the government who is the centralized authority. The government via its various arms ensures that there is order in society. This type of order help mitigate lawlessness because of our brutal or flawed nature.

This logic is derived from the work of Hobbes and Machiavelli. Both philosophers had a low view of human beings. Hobbes, in particular, said by nature human beings are brutish and egoistic. We are driven by the fear of death and the hope of personal gain.

Thus, whether consciously or unconsciously we seek power over others. Hence, the need for a centralize authority and a social contract to ensure that we give up some of our dangerous freedoms for the sake of safety.

According to Elman, this is demonstrated by aggressive statesmen or by domestic political systems that give greedy parochial groups the opportunity to pursue self-serving expansionist foreign policies. Hitler is a case in point.

Classical realist also claim that rational choice is applied to make decisions by statesmen. This point expressed by Elman helps us to concluded that cost and benefit of different possible course of action is taken into account.

Aggressive statesmen in their pursuit of a particular interest calculate whether their course of action will incur more benefits and less cost. Such a course of action is deemed as in the best interest of the state because it will increase their capabilities.

The lack of a centralize authority (anarchy) means that there is no mechanism to regulate what states do in the international arena. As different states pursue their own interest to build up their capabilities they come into conflict with other states.

The concept of interest is the second principle of political realism according to Morgenthau. Interest is defined in terms of power. In other words, when a state pursues its interest it increases its relative power in comparison to other states. 

Carr's argument about the 'have' and the 'have not' nations help us to further understand the gloomy picture. The 'have not' nations want more territory in order to secure more resources to help in their growth. This expansionism is viewed negatively by the 'have' nations. When the 'have not' nations pursues their interest in acquiring the resources they need this then led to conflict. He gave the case of Germany, Italy and Japan.

Elman's short segment on classical realism is challenging. We will need to read the works of modern scholars like Carr, Morgenthau and others to help us understand fully his explanation. More importantly, we will need to go back further and look at what Hobbes and Machiavelli wrote in their respective books.

Reference:

Elman, C. (2007). Realism. In M. Griffiths (Ed.), International relations theory for the twenty-first century (pp. 11-20). New York: Routledge.