Ancient And Modern Realism

Thucydides and Mearsheimer

What you'll learn
The Basic Principles and Ideas of Political Realism
Thucydides and his History of the Peloponnesian War
Key Ideas of Contemporary Realist John Mearsheimer
How Realism Differs from Other Apporoaches to International Politics
Requirements
Interest and Enthusiasm for Learning! We assume no prior knowledge.
Access to works by Thucydides and John Mearsheimer mentioned in the course modules.
Description
In spite of its pessimistic and unromantic account of politics and human nature, realism has nonetheless remained one of the most enduring and influential schools of thought in political thought. In this course, we will look at two of the most important thinkers in this school. The theory of political realism argues that power and interests are the primary motivators of states and this tends to drive them into competition and conflict.  We will look at the ancient Athenian historian Thucydides whose History of the Peloponnesian War's dramatic and often harrowing account of the conflict between Athens and Sparta illustrates the principles of political realism. Thucydides produces a brilliant analysis of statecraft in the classical age of Greece that retains its relevance today. Then we will look at John Mearsheimer’s works The Tragedy of Great Power Politics and The Great Delusion. Mearsheimer is one of the most influential contemporary realists of our time and a critic of liberal internationalism. We try to pair the ancient and the modern to show some of their differences and similarities. Mearsheimer is an offensive realist who thinks that the anarchy of the international system drives states into security competition and leads them to attempt to expand their power; Thucydides discusses security dilemmas but also the permanence of human nature, and the vital significance of human leadership and decision-making in understanding politics. Perhaps, more importantly, our course will shed a lead on the continuities of realist principles across thousands of years of human history that make an ancient classic like that of Thucydides truly (as he called it) “a possession for all time”.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Section 2: Sparta and Athens

Lecture 2 Sparta and Athens

Section 3: The Security Dilemma

Lecture 3 Thucydides - Causes of the War

Section 4: Mearsheimer - China and the USA

Lecture 4 Mearsheimer - USA and China

Section 5: Pericles and the Golden Age of Athens

Lecture 5 Pericles: Life and Times

Section 6: Mearsheimer - Land Power

Lecture 6 Mearsheimer -Land Power

Section 7: Thucydides - Cleon´s Gambit

Lecture 7 Thucydides -Cleon´s Gambit

Section 8: Thucydides - The Melian Dialogue

Lecture 8 The Melian Dialogue

Section 9: Mearsheimer on "The Great Delusion"

Lecture 9 Mearsheimer on Liberal Hegemony

Section 10: Mearsheimer - Strategies of Survival

Lecture 10 Strategies of Survival

Section 11: The Sicillian Expedition

Lecture 11 The Sicillian Expedition

Anyone interested in Learning more about Thucydides and Mearsheimer!