Training Course: Reading Today's World Through the Lens of Realism
1Summary
Why does a major power keep protecting its interests even when doing so strains alliances or draws global criticism? Realist theory has one clear answer: because in an international system with no higher authority above the state, national interest and security come first, and everything else - ideology, cooperation, even friendship between nations - is judged against that standard.
Arab British Fellowship Training Academy built this course around that lens. Since its emergence, realism has stood as one of the central frameworks for understanding the forces that actually drive global politics and the decisions great powers make. Participants will gain a solid grounding in its foundations and analytical tools, and practise applying the theory to read complex, current international situations - sharpening their ability to interpret today's world the way a realist strategist would.
2Objectives and target group
Who Should Attend?
- Researchers in international relations and global politics.
- Diplomats and Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees.
- Students of political science and international relations.
- Anyone interested in analysing international politics and shaping diplomatic strategy.
- Consultants working in international relations and foreign affairs.
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
- Build a comprehensive understanding of realist theory's foundations and core concepts in international relations.
- Analyse the role national interest and security play in shaping global policy.
- Apply realist concepts to read the current international situation.
- Interpret international crises and conflicts through a realist lens.
- Explore how major powers shape international relations within today's global system.
3Course Content
Module 1: Realism in Action: Reading Today's Conflicts
- Applying realist principles to explain conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East crises.
- How great powers behave strategically in moments of crisis.
Module 2: The Core Idea: Power, Security and an Anarchic System
- Defining realism and tracing how it emerged as an analytical approach, distinct from traditional and modern variants.
- The role of power and national security, and the idea of "anarchy" within the international system.
Module 3: The Thinkers Behind the Theory
- The founders of realism - Hobbes, Mackinder, Morgenthau - and how their schools of thought, traditional versus offensive realism, still shape today's politics.
Module 4: National Interest as the Driving Force
- How states define national interest, and how domestic politics, economics and the military feed into it.
- How prevailing ideologies and values influence realist decision-making.
Module 5: Strategy: How States Actually Pursue Their Interests
- Using military and economic power, and international alliances, to protect national interests.
- The balance of power among the US, China and Russia, and the global competition for strategic influence.
Module 6: Realism and Foreign Policy Decisions
- How realism shapes real foreign-policy decisions, including U.S. policy in the Middle East.
- Using a realist framework to anticipate and plan for future threats.
Module 7: New Pressures on the International System
- Rising tension between major powers, and the economic, political, technological and environmental pressures reshaping global politics.
- Whether realism can adapt to the challenges globalisation brings.
Module 8: Where Realism Falls Short - and Where It's Headed
- The theory's limits in explaining certain global phenomena, and criticism from schools such as liberalism and Marxism.
- How realism might adapt to future transformations in global politics, from technology to future wars.