Thucydides, Realism, and Why Nations Go to War

Despite their alliance against the Persian invasion in 480 B.C., the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta created separate spheres of influence. Following periods of intermittent conflict, in 431 B.C. they began a destructive war against each other that lasted twenty-seven years. To help explain this struggle, Thucydides, an Athenian military general and historian, looked for cause and effect relationships. He concluded that human emotions and interests, a nation’s pursuit of power, and influential leaders proved instrumental. These elements, which are all part of the theory of realism, not only explain the war between Athens and Sparta, but also America’s Cold War with the Soviet Union, and recent American policy towards Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.Read more