Question

In what ways does the international system resemble Thomas Hobbes's view of the state of nature? Conflicts are resolved peacefully. One charismatic individual controls the whole system. Stronger nations prey upon the weak. State actors are constrained by an overarching legal system.

Answer 1

The international system resembles Thomas Hobbe's view of the state of nature in that "Stronger nations prey upon the weak." Hobbe's believed that the state of nature was anarchic and conflict prone whereby the strong would prey upon the weak. He would argue that this is what occurs in the international system today.