DO LEADERS MATTER IN WORLD POLITICS- NEOCLASSICAL REALISM THEORY

Theory and Research in International Politics

Neoclassical realism is a theory that appeared in an article written by Gideon Rose in 1998. He presented a new approach that explained foreign policy behavior. It aims at updating neorealist and classical approach through the incorporation of individual and domestic level consisting factors as well as systematic factors for the analysis of foreign policy. The theory realists argue the foreign policies of a state are driven by the state power capability in the international system.
The theory asserts the state foreign policy basic parameters are set by its place in the international system and the its relative material power. Nation material capacity doesn’t turn to a given behaviour which is mediated by the political
leadership whose power is important than the state’s actual power. The power of the state that is determined by political leadership, in neoclassical realism is the state’s ability to mobilize the available resources defined by nationalism, ideology as well as the institutions. The theory does not eliminate leadership from politics and can therefore be  thus regarded as more realistic. It admits that leaders play a crucial role in democratic domestic politics. Nevertheless, it presents restrictions to the role of leadership as it poses problems. Neoclassical realism shows foreign policy as compared to other structural theories. Also, the theory draws an appropriate foreign policy that focuses on the micro level by looking at the political leader individually.
The nNeoclassical realism portrays political leadership as occurring in a bottom-up manner. The starting point process is autonomous interpreted as a popular view of the citizens on the main issues based on the accompanying preferences and public policy. The point is expressed through the voting by the people. The democratic governments are meant to be responsive to the preference and will of voters. In the view of neoclassical view, the office leaders are delegates who articulate and execute the popular will. Politics is a resemblance of a market that is demand driven. The demand is thus identical with the citizens’ preference.
The rRealists highlight the limitations imposed by human nature on politics. The hHuman nature is described as egoist thus security and power are the main issue that highly contribute to conflict. Thucydides says that the notion and the primary building blocks of security, anarchy and power are defined in the realist tradition context.
Classical realists thoughts are based on the belief that human desires for both military and economic power that motivates state as opposed to ethics and ideals. In nearly 2500 historical record by Thucydides on Peloponnesian war, Athenians attempted to coerce the border of the neutral state Melos. The Athenians declared that the strong ones do what they can while the weak suffer what they must. The international system is said to be anarchic due to the nonexistence of an authoritative body of law that limits the state’s actions. The power of a nation is constituted of economic and military power (Pakulski  2013. Political leaders play the significant role in this. Humankind is competitive and self-centered leading into a condition that occurrence of wars always possible.
Political leadership has both negative and positive impacts on the nation. The leaders can easily incite different groups of citizens based on ideologies to fight each other. Also, they can influence peaceful coexistence between the citizens regardless of their differences. Their power thus plays a crucial role in their area of jurisdiction. The desire to gain power make the leaders make the leaders have wars with each other. Take for instance back in 2003; the United States evaded Iraq as it wanted to serve its interest. The country maintains its hegemony through getting sufficient oil, so there was the need to protect Persian Gulf oil reserve. By inevading Iraq, it could control oil in Iraq it t had nothing to worry about its oil supply. A responsible political leader needs to engage foreign policy that he or she would be not right as per private morality (Kis and Miklósi  2008).
Leaders are given unique role when elected to political positions. The neoclassical realism theory assumes that the critical criteria of democratic government are the response of the public policy to the citizen preference. The government is said to be representative and thus said to be democratic only when it is responsive to the needs of the citizens (Taliaferro, Lobell and Ripsman  2000). The government’s responsiveness gives politicians democratic mandate.
Politics affects the security of the nation directly. Neoclassical realists belief that power distribution in pursuit of safety is that security is the most fundamental value in an international system. Since the political leaders are not only interested in the in securing their nations but also holding their power at home, political conditions can quickly affect the security policy. They assume that the political arrangements in their states behave as the intervening variables where the systematic imperatives are interpreted into a response of foreign policy (Boyle 2011).
The rRealists do not agree with the assumption that they only aim of the nation is security. It instead argues that the power of the nation direct the international system achieving preferences and goals (Juneau 2015). They're thus There are thus high chances that states that are powerful will use the different poles that are far reaching. Unit actors thus play a crucial role although other factors such as elites psychology and the structure of the state refract politics and regulate responses.
Neoclassical realists believe the decision makers in the state affects the relationship between foreign policy and relative power. The belief might be misconceptions or can lead to unforeseen by the structural realism theory. Neoclassical perceptive therefore allow for quirks, for example, that of the USSR destruction by Gorbachev n attempts to strengthen its power. One common neoclassical realist concern is the way various apparatuses of the nation to exploit the power of its state. By assuming government’s failure to convert means of their society entirely, realists explain empirical cases where the state that possesses great power are expected to have expansive foreign policies.





References
Boyle, G. 2011. The SAGE handbook of personality theory and assessment. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Juneau, T. 2015. From Power to Foreign Policy. Neoclassical Realism and Iranian Foreign Policy Squandered Opportunity, 35-54.
Taliaferro, J. W., Lobell, S. E., & Ripsman, N. M. 2000. Introduction: Neoclassical realism, the state, and foreign policy. Neoclassical Realism, the State, and Foreign Policy, 1-41.
Kis, J., & Miklósi, Z. 2008. Politics as a moral problem. Budapest: CEU Press.
Pakulski, J. 2013. Toward leader democracy. Place of publication not identified: Anthem Press.