Abstract:
There has been and will continue to be substantial debate over how the international system
can best be characterized. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the
international system can best be characterized by the essential features of realism, but the
use of realist policy prescriptions are inadequate when applied independently to deal with
the threat of terrorism as it exists today. In order to demonstrate this an examination of
realism in the international system, U.S. foreign policy, and case analysis of Afghanistan
and Iraq will be undertaken to demonstrate that although realist policy prescriptions do
have a role in dealing with modem transnational security threats, these prescriptions on
their own are inadequate when dealing with terrorism.
