This text demonstrates how Thucydides' "History of the Peloponnesian War" analyzes both the power and the dramatic weaknesses of realist thought. It discusses ideas of political realism and its limits, claiming that the political examples of the classical past continue to be useful.
"Crane's approach is original and quite stimulating. He takes a set of old questions-Thucydides' objectivity, 'realism,' and understanding of human nature-and gives them a new and exciting twist."-J. Peter Euben, University of California, Santa Cruz
