Morgenthau’s realism review: the recognition of politician figure, political society, and

the real power of state

Fredy Romero Chaparro
Universidad de La Sabana

What you would say if we state that classical realism definition of power in the relations
among nations ignore three of the main components of real power (as the effective
power)? In fact, the recognition of the role of political society and politician is necessary
to understand and “bring order and meaning to a mass of phenomena which without it
would remain disconnected and unintelligible” (Morgenthau, 1985: 3).
Therefore, we going to state –based principally on Politics Among Nations: The Struggle
for Power and Peace book wrote by Hans Morgenthau (1985)— why classic realism is
the adequate approach to study and understand international system in his dual concept,
as study field, and as basic guiding principle of international relations. Also, we give
explanation about why the political theory (not international) and a complete analysis of
domestic politics have been unrecognized in the theory. Moreover, we going to define
and describe the deterministic role of political society and politician, and his necessary
comprehension to evaluate and calculate the real power of a nation. Finally, our
theoretical appreciation concludes suggesting the incorporation of these three pragmatics
and theorical elements in investigations and in formulation of new literature, and the need
to do not forget that international theories are result of political theories based on domestic
state’s administration and distribution of power. Hence, international theoreticians cannot
do completely his work if unrecognize it.
Classic realism as a science is without doubt the most appropriate theory to understand,
explain and give meaning to all the different issues and phenomena that international
relations poses, including international state’s elements and needs as security, national
interest, sovereignty, war and peace, cooperation, universal moral, international
organizations, limitations an capabilities of power, limited resources, balance of power,
and a lot more, but all of them in a basic (defined as fundamental or the starting point)
approach. It because realism is the only theory that emanate of the basic notions of
hobbesian human nature and natural law, because is the only one that conceive the
maquiavelian moral comprehension, and also is the unique that conceive the progress as
the analysis of the laws by which society lives and the alteration of these rules by risk of
failure or by the extremely necessity to achieve natural necessities of state. In other words,
the less positivist theory, the less subordinated approach to moral law and the less unstable
theory of administration of power (because have a pragmatic basic guideline of state´s
behavior to achieve balance of power and, consequently, security).
As a result of his general, but essential theoretical structure1, limited also by obvious time
conditions2, classic realism miss various of the elements that contribute to capture

1
General in terms of the lack of particular approaching of all relevant issues that characterize and
explain the international system and the international relations.
2
The first book’s edition is published in 1948 and is inferable that a lot of contemporary issues have
been unrecognizable by his lack of evidence and clarity, inclusive by the inexistence of theme at this
time. The sixth edition used in this text (1985), however, expand the approach to new contemporary
international relations in a holistic view, themes like colonialism, historical economic
interdependence among nations, political culture, communitarian and plural societies,
racism, sexism, politics through time (planned and programmed to affect in the long
term), like environmentalism –actions that people who promote do not design in virtue to
his contemporaries, but for the future generations—, massification of media and another
state´s components and possibilities of political breakdown. By his essential and
fundamental character, classic realism have “allowed” to forget some supplement
approximations, but at the same time bring the possibility to develop literature and
investigations to complement them and to improve the field study and his capability to
capture international system, as the here presented.
In a democratic system, the general will –in roussonian terms—, is a categorical factor in
the composition of the decisions taken by states in international relations, but is also
relevant his particular composition or meaning and the constant republican debate that
form it. While it is true that the state conception as an individual is the correct approach
because recognize that both act and think under natural law, also is true that realism must
recognize the proper proportions on this comparison.
Morgenthau identify the gap or leap briefly and so superficial (in the sense that it is not
theoretically transversal) when stablish that “the individual may say to himself: “Let
justice be done, even if the world perish”, but state has no right to say so in the name of
those who are in his care”. Here we must distinguish between individual and collective
subject; the first is an autonomous and rational subject and the other is the composition
result of the contract made by them (Bonilla, 2015: 251, 253, 254). While the first act by
himself, in his name and is determined by himself, the second did not act in his name,
take decisions in representation of his members and is determined by them too.
To a successful appropriation of the parallel among human and state and to bring meaning
to the majority phenomena in international relations is necessarily basic understand that
to execute the administration of a state (it means, administration of power –realism have
to conceive the action state in this terms—), first is supremely important bear in mind
who is executing the power, which was the process of his election, why he was elected
and how is the political situation of the nation, because anyone will state that the
population did not determine politics or influence them (totally clear in real democracies).
It means understand the role and the importance of politician and political society in the
execution of real power.
Firstly, identify who is the politician that holds the administrative power of a state will
gives us the knowledge about what is the political theory (not international political
theory) that guides the actions of the head of state about a certain issue, which are his
characteristic psychological reactions, his clientelist networks, his levels of technocracy,
political ideology, and the members and assessors of National Government; this
information can be quantified for analysis, but have to maintain the qualitative nature.
Quantification methods like Likert’s scale are one of the diverse mechanisms to traduce
approximately the qualitative data to quantitative information. The complexity of the
realization of patterns and scientific method by de nature of the data can not be a limitation

elements but it do not present a holistic theory of contemporary realism by the nature of classic realism,
the starting point of every theory (to discuss them, supplement them or use them as support).
of a theory that seeks to explain all issues that take place in the each more time huge
International System. Hence, is key do not “guard against two popular fallacies: the
concern with motives and the concern with ideological preferences” (Morgenthau, 1985:
5), but recognize them as another tool to provide the theory of all necessary elements to
function.
In the same way, the understanding of the electoral process is important in the efforts of
anticipate the actions that supreme administrative authority is going to seek. Here is when
the tensions, discussions, coalitions and, in general terms, the deliberative process can
useful, because bring information regarding the political culture, public opinion, general
will, unipolarity, bipolarity or multipolarity of domestic politics, the confidence in the
state’s figure and in the political system and, particularly, the plurality of interests and the
moral values of the nation. It will define –without ignore the international factors— the
real power of politician and, as consequence, state. It means that power (as real power to
traduce interests), ultimately, is determined by political society in a bottom up
(hierarchical) sense3.
Why these two last elements [plurality and moral] are being each more time definitively
in state´s actions? Because whenever the democratic and liberal system progress, the
capabilities of the citizens progress as well in the public political activities, product of the
improving of educational system (in terms of quality and coverage), massification of
media and the natural political opening of liberalism and the participative rule of law. It
tends to increase the plurality of interests that derives on constantly and directly
influences from private sphere to public (hence, international) sphere.
Additionally, the comprehension of moral values, in contrast with Morgenthau’s
conception of realism, tend to define (in spite of we are in agreement in the reject of this
subordination) state´s decisions, it bearing in mind that behavior of stateman is controlled
by the different organism of control in the organizational checks and balances system of
state, also by the public opinion of nation, but essentially, by constitution’s moral
principles, judges and laws –which, naturally acts or are made under moral principles—.
The assumption of a totally insubordination is constitutionally and naturally utopian,
because it is just possible in the successful hobbesian conception of state nature, where
man is isolated and totally free of immorality acts and, consequently, his natural power is
not dependent or influenced by moral4. The unrecognition of plurality and moral values
as components of stateman behavior in international relations and his political ideologies
reflected in an international agenda is another limitation of realism.
The ideological factor, as our third recovered term lost on parallel between individual and
state, compose transversally the answer to why a politician is elected and which are the

3
I mean, in a vertical (hierarchical) conceptualization of power, where it is held by political society, is
assumed by politician and is expressed on state, totally contrary to hobessian, maquiavelian and weberian
theory of power’s distribution, which have an up down sense where power is distributed from the king,
prince or supreme administrative authority to the top.
4
Therefore, “to this war of every man against every man, this also is consequent; that nothing can be unjust.
The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, have there no place. Where there is no common power,
there is no law; where no law, no injustice. Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues. Justice and
injustice are none of the faculties neither of the body nor mind. If they were, they might be in a man that
were alone in the world, as well as his senses and passions. They are qualities that relate to men in society,
not in solitude. (Hobbes, 1651: 79)
political obligations with his voters and society in general. The democratic exercise of
vote is the mechanism through citizen traduces his interests and conceptions in real
expression of will. The elections define who is going to administrate power and which
are going to be the principal politics and political themes that the politician’s agenda is
going to have. In other words, political ideas and ideologies from voters –and the citizens
in general, because democracy choose a representant of majority will, but it have not to
ignore the general will and minorities— are converted in the guideline of international
relations of a country (added to the large natural and existent necessities of state in
international system like survive, demonstrate power, defend sovereignty, seek national
interest and development, administrate stablished tensions and, ultimately, administrate
the balance of power).
Finally, about how is the political context of political nation, our complement of realism
theory stablish that there is no correct approximation of the causes of a particular state’s
action without bear in mind the tensions among political members of state after elections
and the conformation of parliamentary an executive power. There is a difference between
the electoral context and the context result o this electoral process, because one of them
gives us information of political obligations and challenges of politician and the other
bring us an stablished structure of politicians in power, which assume that deliberation is
among elected persons, not aspirant’s; one debate is abstract an no effective (but influence
the future) and the other is pragmatic and effective.
All in all, there is no best approach that classic realism to decipher international system
by his natural and objective world view. In addition to, the recognition of the figure of
politician, political society and real power have demonstrated the theorical and pragmatic
relevance of them in the anticipation of state´s acts and the impact on International
Relations as field and the pure international relations. We also discovered the
deterministic role that provoke the clear identification of Head of State’s thinking, his
electoral process, the shaping of citizens ideas and ideologies in power and the political
composition of decision-making institutions. We conclude advising that its new elements
must be incorporated in international study of relations among nations in combination
with the comprehension of International Relations as a descendant or component of
Political Sciences if theory wants to be complete.
References:
Hobbes, T. (1651). Leviathan. London: McMaster University. Online:
https://socialsciences.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/hobbes/Leviathan.pdf (26 February
2021)
Morgenthaus, H. (1985). Politics among nations: The struggle for power and peace.
Beijing: Peking University Press.
Bonilla, D. (2015). La arquitectura conceptual del principio de separación de poderes.
Bogotá: Universidad Javeriana.