Arguments on the Left: The Ethics of Realism

Abstract

abstract:States, and the interests of states as defined by state establishments, are central to every variety of realism in international affairs. A concentration on state interests allows the leader or analyst to distinguish between what another country's establishment sees as its secondary and vital interests--in other words, those interests on which it will be willing to compromise, and those on which it will never compromise, and for which in the last resort it is prepared to fight.