The Impact of Thucydides on Postwar Realist Thinking and lts Critique

Abstract

This paper examines how Thucydides’ understanding of war and interstate relations has influenced the theorists of the Realist school of thought. It argues that although Thucydides was a Realist himself in the modern use of the term, it seems quite simplistic and therefore misleading to seek to classify the great historian’s thinking in one or the other variant of Realism. Instead, a more thorough reading of his analysis reveals a rather complicated Realistic approach which only adds to his legacy as a historian and a theorist who can offer timeless insights into contemporary power politics.