Hans Morgenthau's Principles of Political Realism: A Feminist Reformulation

This chapter presents a feminist analysis of Hans Morgenthau’s six principles of political realism, which, the author claims, exhibit a masculine bias. It argues that realism is not an inaccurate portrayal of the international system but an incomplete one that is a partial picture of reality. The chapter offers a broader definition of power, which includes power as mutual enablement. It claims that cooperation, as well as conflict, is also a feature of the international system. The chapter concludes with a feminist reformulation of Morgenthau’s six principals.