International Politics Paper - Book Report/Review Example

To enable students fully understand the current economic, security, and global issues; they are expected to read widely and interact with other students from various nationalities and backgrounds. The debate titled, "Realism and Morality in Foreign Policy”, covers contemporary issues that are of conceptual interest which as well aid students in taking position in the world affairs scene that affect their lives. The debate further asserts that conventional wisdom claim realism has tendencies of excluding moral apprehension from questions touching on foreign policy.

As a matter of fact, the debate claim that what normally stands out in most cases regarding the realist approach to foreign policy and morality is not rejection, but ambivalence. Alternatively, realists concur that morals are extremely subjective a standard that can be used to judge politics. In another perspective, realism is upheld as the most moral approach since it promotes stability amongst international enemies. As explicated above, the extremes implies that realism tend to have problems with the moral question.

The problem manifests itself in ways that are inclined towards logical inconsistence, cynic or implicit idealism. The debate, therefore, seeks to explain why realism have moral problems, what realist strategies are implored in dealing with the moral concerns, and whether there are realists who are keen to struggle with power and morality more efficiently than others. In attempts to answer the above questions, the essay focuses on examining how cold war realists Hans Morgenthau solved or failed to solve the moral problems evident in foreign affairs.

Morgenthau is identified as the founder of the American political realism since most people turn to him in order to comprehend what is denoted by the realist approach. Kennan, on the other hand, is selected and subjected to discussion since he is outspoken regarding the issues revolving around morality and foreign affairs. Reinhold Niebuhr is also discussed with regard to his approach to international politics. However, his approach to international politics falls under normative realism. Morgenthau’s early analysis of the United States policy has retained its relevance up to now.

He asserted that it was difficult for the United States of America to comprehend that other countries, while opposing American policies, were in pursuit of their national interests, which were similar to those that the United States were pursuing. By doing this, the United States was denying them an opportunity to develop their own ideas. Thayer & Ibyramoya (23) states that the development of utopian image within the confines of international relations forced United States of America to view the policies of other countries in a similar way as that of utopian moralism.

By virtue that the United States of American foreign policy is considered moral and selfless, the foreign policies of the opposing countries are exactly the opposite, which is immoral and selfish. Morgenthau further explicates on his realist philosophies on foreign policies that America being considered as the watch dog of the world, in search of order and peace, as well as the good of all, it is only upon civil states to go up against it. These civil countries are viewed as criminals when they act on their