The Realist Analysis Of The Anarchical Society By Hedley Bull

However, Hedley Bull, in his most famous analysis ‘The Anarchical Society’, rebuts these realist criticisms, writing about the primacy of International Law and insists that it is a ‘negligible factor in the actual conduct of international relations’ alongside the fact that states ‘so often judge it in their interests to conform to it’. This directly opposes the idea that realists put forward, as it suggests that states are actually inclined to adhere to international law, and it is crucial to the success of it. Although there is an element of truth in realists’ analyses, it is not to the extent of which realists contend and it should be noted that they fail to acknowledge the fact that the favourable conditions order would bring serves an incentive for states to cooperate within the realms of an international society. Furthermore, realist critiques do not actually deny the existence of an international society, but there critiques revolve around an evaluation of its effectiveness. Opposing the popular conception of neo-realists that the current political climate consists of an anarchical system with all else following from this by chance, therefore assuming that it is a contingent, is Brown’s emphasis on there being ‘a reason we have and need an international society’: to achieve a good amongst all states. This is shown by international organisations such as the European Union and United Nations, the latter of which has the ability to impose sanctions and other punishments on states if it does not adhere to international laws. The United Nations mandate explains how it seeks to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’, as it was initially born out of the League of Nations which was set up after the end of World Wa...

... middle of paper ...

...s Mayall, who states that ‘there was the basis of economic community in the international society’ through the existence of organisations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. This also accurately counteracts Roger Epp’s idea that if Grotius were to demarcate ‘the globe in two concentric circles – an inner one limited to the historical-cultural unity descended from Western Christendom, and an outer one including all humanity – the English school’s preoccupations have been most vigorously and consequentially at issue in the latter circle…’ as these economic organisations transcend borders and even connect the developing countries, or the South, with the more economically developed countries, the North. Therefore, Hedley Bull’s conception serves to include the complex relationship of the division between more and less economically developed states.