It is important to note that for realists, unlike idealists or liberal internationalists, international conflict is a necessary consequence of the structural anarchy that nations find themselves in. These nations react to feelings of insecurity by engaging in their own aggressive actions, which leads other nations to react similarly, perpetuating the cycle. However, each nation’s quest for security-through military buildups, alliances, or territorial defenses-necessarily unsettles other nations.
In the absence of any prevailing global authority, each nation is required to address its own security needs. Specifically, classical realists ask, what are the causes of war and what are the conditions of peace? The members of the classical realist school mainly attribute war and conflict to what is termed the security dilemma. The primary principle underlying classical realism is a concern with issues of war and peace. While the classical realist school of international relations is not entirely homogeneous in nature, there are certain premises that all classical realists share. Even at the birth of the nation, early political thinkers, such as Alexander Hamilton, promoted a realist view of international relations and sought to influence the actions of the government based on this perspective. The classical realist theory of international relations has long dominated both academic institutions and the American government.