The Quest For Power In Joseph Weisler's Theory Of Neorealism

Weisler developed a bond with his targets. They didn’t even know of his existence and certainly would not feel the same about him if they knew whom he truly was or what he did for a living, but he cares for them regardless. It doesn’t matter that the bond was entirely one-sided, Weisler still cares for them simply because they are good people. This sort of instance is one the communist system could never tolerate. If everyone started acknowledging that they shouldn’t prosecute people for having morals, then those people are liable to start doing crazy things such as leaving their oppressive lives and seeking freedom. Weisler’s transformation is a brilliant way to develop his character in the film and it displays that even cruel Strasi

Neorealism argues that power is the most important factor in international relations and whoever controls the most power during an international conflict controls the outcome of that conflict. It’s no wonder that this theory came from the Cold War era as it is based off American-Soviet relations. Neorealism dictates that a country will build up its military to appear powerful in order to survive foreign conflict and pursue its other goals. This notion divides neorealism into two subcategories: defensive and offensive. Defensive neorealism, originally proposed by Kenneth Waltz, states that every country’s goal is to merely survive, which wont be long if the military is inferior, which is why it is necessary to build a military force. Offensive neorealism, however, proposed by John Mearsheimer, argues that building a military force improves the county’s relative power because it is not a certainty of how much power will be necessary for the future so improvements must be made constantly. Both the United States and the Soviet Union were armed with nuclear weapons, the parity actually acted as a nuclear deterrent, so the military force from the theory is replaced by privileged information. Each country needed constant insight into what the other was doing as to avoid a nuclear war. One could argue that economic events also determine the relative power of a state, which is another field

Just as the two super-powers were fighting for information on each other, internal surveillance teams were fighting for information to keep the country itself free of rebels. The Soviets had to keep an attentive eye out for rebellions which they feared would be inevitable if one of their satellite countries made contact with the west or the citizens of that country no longer respected the ruling elite. Neorealism argues that the perception of power is just as effective as actually using said power. The fear itself is enough to establish superiority. That is why intelligence was so sought after and the sole reason surveillance teams