In international relations, offensive realism is a variant of realism. Like realism, offensive realism sees looks at states as rational players who are the primary actors in world affairs. Offensive relaism predicts that anarchy on the world stage allows states to expand, and that states will exploit opportunities to expand whenever they are presented. John Mearsheimer is considered the chief proponent of this theory. International Relations (IR), a branch of political science, is the study of foreign affairs of and relations among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs). ... Main International Relations Theories and derivates Realism & Neorealism Idealism, Liberalism & Neoliberalism Marxism & Dependency theory Functionalism & Neofunctionalism Critical theory & Constructivism The term realism or political realism comes from the German compound word Realpolitik, from the words real (meaning realistic, practical, or actual) and Politik (meaning politics). It focuses on the balance... Professor John J. Mearsheimer John J. Mearsheimer (born December 1947) is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. ...
Realism is commonly defined as a concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary.
Realism in philosophical thinking is the belief that properties, usually called Universals, exist independently of the things that manifest them.
Realism holds that in pursuit of that security, states will attempt to amass resources, and that relations between states are determined by their relative level of power.
Offensiverealism predicts that states try to maximize their influence in the international arena, especially when they feel that they have the power and the capability to do so.
Offensive realists would argue that a state in relative decline would pursue a policy of withdrawal because it is in the state's best interest.
Offensiverealism, on the other hand, provides an equally compelling explanation for why the Soviets reacted to their declining status in the way that they did.