Blog 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Blog 1 - Essay Example His work is important because he invites readers to think about the definition of the â€Å"barbarian† and how this affected international politics. From International Relations in Political Thought by Brown, Nardin, and Rengger (2002), â€Å"The History of the Peloponnesian War† aimed to faithfully narrate the causes and events of the Peloponnesian War. Boucher (1998) presented his analysis of empirical realism through â€Å"Chapter 4: Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War.† These authors have college students, who are studying politics and international history, as their audiences. Their works are important because they provide different perspectives in analyzing political history works. My question involves enthnocentricism and realism. Is ethnocentricism the main root of realism? If Spartans and the Athenians interacted more as a one cultural community, would they have avoided these anxieties against each other? Ethnocentricism is about one culture thinking that their cultural system is better than others, and it is one of the primary causes of realist thought in the Peloponnesian War. It is interesting that ancient Greeks were like the ancient Egyptians; they were colorblind in terms of their discrimination. Instead of racism, they practiced Greek-centricism, where they believed that their culture was superior to others. Keene (2005) maintained: â€Å"Blood, language, religion and custom†¦are the foundations of Greek Hellenic identity, and it is accordingly along these axes that the identity of the barbarian is conceived† (p.27). The Greeks saw themselves as the â€Å"better† race, while foreigners were seen as â€Å"barbarians.† The â€Å"Other† has become a form of Orientalism, a way of denigrating and fearing what is not known. Brown, Nardin, and Rengger (2002) noted the words of Thucydides, who believed that the causes of the Peloponnesian War are: â₠¬Å"growth of Athenian power and the fear which is caused in