Since the end of World War II, Realism has dominated the field of international relations. As a distinct school of thought Realism places its emphasis on the state as the primary actor in world politics. Realists generally have a pesimistic view of human nature, and a conviction that international relations are necessarily conflictual and that international conflicts are ultimatly resolved by war.

Realists operate with the core assumption that world politics unfolds in a system of international anarchy, that is a system with no overiding authority, no world government. As a result international relations can be defined as a struggle between power maximising states in an anarchical environment (Morgenthau, 1960: p2). For this reason r

Morgenthau bases his thory on the three core assumptions, but also introduces his "six principles of political realism" (Morgenthau 1948, p4-17) which best explain the classical realist perspective. According to Morgenthau and (Hobson, 2000, p47), the six principles are: I) Politics is rooted in a permanent and unchanging human nature which is basically self centred, self regarding and self interested. II) Politics is " an autonomous sphere of action" and cannot therefore be reduced to economics(as marxists do) or reduced to morals. Therefore state leaders should act in ways which benefit their populations, regardless of moral norms. III) Self interest is a basic fact of human condition: all people have an interest in their own security and survival. Thus international politics is an arena of conflicting state interests. These interests are not fixed but change over time. IV) Ethics of international relations are very different to those in the public sphere. A political leader!

By far the most influential contemporary Neo-Realist thinker is undoubtedly Kenneth waltz. His leading work, "Theory of International Poilitics" (1979) is refered to as "the most far reaching theoretical attempt so far to reestablish, albeit in more rigorous form, the central tenents of realism" (Evansand Newnham, 1990, p341). According to Koehane (1986, p15) the

The theory of the 19th century German philosopher Karl Marx in many ways represents a fundamental critique of realism. To understand the Marxist theories on the state in international realtions, we must first understand the Marxist view on class relations within the state. Marxists believe that polotics and economics are closely intertwined and reject the liberal view of an economic sphere operating under its own laws. For Marxists, international relations is marked by the conflict between social classes in the capitalist economy. One class the bourgeoisie owns the means of production(factories, land, machines); the other class, the workers owns only its labour power which it must sell to the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie exploit the worker class by getting greater returns from the labour of the worker class. According to Marx, this explotative relationship between the dominant class and the worker class is known as the mode of production and changes over time. Marx identified!

Unlike realism with its pesimistic view, liberalism presents a far more optimistic view of international relations. The core concern of liberalism is the happiness and contentment of individual human beings. In contrast to relaists, who see the state first and foremost as a concentration and instrument of power, liberal

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