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Realism and Instruments of Power

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Realism and Instruments of Power
The international environment is very complex, due to the inclusion of various political actors and the interaction of these actors at different levels. Typically, threats emerge from competition between states over geopolitical and traditional issues. Recently, non-traditional threats have emerged that affect the national interests of various countries; one of these challenges that is quickly moving to the forefront of importance is that of energy security, and the related topic of environmental security. Political scientists and leaders try to distill the international environment down to basic theories, which can help determine appropriate courses of action in this landscape of change. Using the theory of realism, and responding with the Instruments of Power (IOP), the US can moderate the threat of energy and environmental security. At the heart of realism is the belief that international affairs is the struggle for power amongst states over self-interested concerns (Snyder, 2004, 55). Realism centers on four principles: states, interests, anarchy, and power. States are the overarching administrative, policing, and military organizations that are led and coordinated by an executive authority (Forsyth, 2008, 8). Interests are the hierarchical goals which a state treats as significant to its well-being; security and survival are the highest ranked goals (ACSC, 2010, L1). Anarchy is not chaos, but rather is the absence of a supreme authority over states to impose order in the international environment. Power is the ability to affect outcomes, the ability to change the behavior of others to make an outcome happen, and is the ultimate way to organize a disorderly world and achieve security (Forsyth, 2008, 9-18). According to realism, the driving force behind international politics is fear, which forces states to exercise their power. States impose order over anarchy in order to achieve security for their interests. Different threats to states’


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