The Foundations of Political Realism

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantitative framework for political realism, modeling political power as a fluid-like substance flowing through agents, offering new insights into agent preferences and political behavior.

Contribution

It formulates political realism using a novel quantitative model that depicts power as a fluid, providing a new methodology for analyzing political interactions and resolving debates.

Findings

Power modeled as a fluid-like substance in networks

Agent preferences resemble nation-states competing for power

Provides a new methodology for political analysis

Abstract

Political realism aims to describe the interaction of agents involved in struggles for political power. This article formulates realism in terms of quantitative postulates that depict political power as a fluid-like substance flowing through a network of agents. It is shown that agent preferences within this framework resemble those of nation states competing for power. It is suggested that this approach provides a methodology for resolving longstanding debates about realism and a template for interpreting aspects of political behavior more generally.