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6. Hierarchies also exist between the numerous and diverse questions on the international agenda: security is always the most important issue, “high politics” take precedence over “low politics”; international politics is about power stakes. A state’s first need is security, hence the “security dilemma”: if one state launches a rearmament policy, all the others are logically obliged to follow this example, according to the logic feeling of uncertainty. If a state refuses to rearm, it will be under threat from all the others and its very survival will be endangered.

To develop a theory of International Relations that went beyond his realist frame of reference. Realist Theory: A Synthesis The realist paradigm of International Relations, despite its European origins, gained prominence in the United States after the Second World War. It long remained the conventional frame of reference, within which even alternative approaches were developed. The various theorists who ascribe to this paradigm share several essential tenets: 1. In terms of methodology, they assert the “domestic analogy” (see Hobbes), while persist denying that a lasting international contract for stability and peace could be possible, following the example of domestic evolution from 42 R.

The concept of hegemony and sphere of influence can sometimes explain these hierarchies between states and stability in the international system. There are both regional hegemonic states and global hegemonic powers. The idea of power is the central tenet of the realist school: a state’s primary objective is to maximize its power. Certain realists interpret power struggles as a defensive, survival mechanism; for others, national interest pushes states to strive to expand their power. e. a state’s human resources.