http://desicritics.org/ Superior South Asian bloggers on Culture, Media, Politics, Sport, Business, and Technology. en Copyright 2006 by the authors Sun, 29 Oct 2006 15:28:40 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss BC custom software http://desicritics.org/2006/10/27/140048.php#comment-26600 Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't mention Clausewitz, since his is the most modern and concise articulation on war and politics. 26600@desicritics.org Sun, 29 Oct 2006 15:28:40 EST http://desicritics.org/2006/10/27/140048.php#comment-26528 Nicely written summary of Realism and its theoretical variants in IR. The philosophical underpinnings of the Realist school is the Hobbesian notion of life and they have embraced many of the assumptions that Hobbes makes. At the heart of Realism is the notion of "power" and that states act in self-interest and are in constant conflict. However what this precludes is the fact that nations do share some commonality of interests etc. And that states are not the only primary actors...there are non-state actors, notably NGOs that have demonstrated that their power to influence has grown. Neither do Realists do a good job of explaining how MNCS and others wield power at the International Relations table? What Realist theories and its various version provide is a framework that helps understand why nations behave they way they do. But, it does explain why states do co-operate and colloborate. Kamla 26528@desicritics.org Sun, 29 Oct 2006 09:30:52 EST http://desicritics.org/2006/10/27/140048.php#comment-26244 gagan: nicely written:) in the end tho' <i>war is nothing more than the continuation of politics by other means.</i> baron von clausewitz 26244@desicritics.org Fri, 27 Oct 2006 22:33:49 EDT