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Realism, Narrative, and Happenstance: Thucydides' Tale of Brasidas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2004

THOMAS HEILKE
THOMAS HEILKE
Affiliation:
University of Kansas
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Abstract

Neorealism and some versions of realism seek to furnish nomothetic theories of the international system at the same time that they also strive to prescribe policy for political leaders. Insofar as practical advice is insufficiently articulated by means of either nomothesis or the structural theoretical framework that (neo-)realist paradigms supply, these two aspirations seem contradictory. This essay is an examination of what contemporary realism and, especially, neorealism require to make practical wisdom available for practitioners. It argues that narrative, which is exemplified in the so-called classical realism of Thucydides, remains a crucial component of practical realism and neorealism.

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ARTICLES
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American Political Science Review , Volume 98 , Issue 1 , February 2004 , pp. 121 - 138
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© 2004 by the American Political Science Association

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