Realism

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Melos on the map, a small rock, no illusions
Athens sails in close and offers no confusion
Thucydides wrote it down in cold, plain ink
The strong do what they can, the weak just sink
No court of gods above to referee the sea
Just power in the water — that's the old decree

[Chorus]
Forte faz o que pode, o fraco sofre o que deve
The strong do what they can, the weak bear what they must
Essa é a regra do jogo, it's the anarchy we trust
Sem polícia no mundo, no referee above
Power over promises — that's the realist love

[Verse 2]
Morgenthau in forty-eight, wrote the realist bible
Interest defined as power — that's his only variable
States aren't choir boys chasing friendship overseas
They're cold accountants bargaining with knives behind their knees
"Politics Among Nations," title says it plain
Self-help is the only game, pride and fear still reign

[Chorus]
Forte faz o que pode, o fraco sofre o que deve
The strong do what they can, the weak bear what they must
É a lógica do poder, it's the anarchy we trust
Sem polícia no mundo, no referee above
Power over promises — that's the realist love

[Verse 3]
Waltz in seventy-nine said forget the leaders' names
Structure of the system is what's dealing all the games
Anarchy's the ceiling, there's no landlord up there
Polarity decides who bluffs, who folds, who dares
Neorealist lens — don't look inside the state
Watch how the units sit; that shape decides the fate

[Verse 4]
Mearsheimer, two thousand one, offense is the design
Great powers don't want balance, they want the whole damn line
Security's a ladder, but nobody sees the top
Herz and Jervis named the trap — your shield can never stop
One state builds a wall, the neighbor feels a chill
Arms race born from caution, that's the dilemma's thrill

[Verse 5]
E.H. Carr in thirty-nine, exposed the utopian dream
Twenty Years' Crisis showed us power's not what it seems
Idealists preached the harmony, but war came anyway
Realism checks the fantasy, makes nations earn their stay
Balance of power, not of hope, keeps the system alive
History's cold arithmetic is how the strong survive

[Bridge]
Liberalism answers back, constructivists dream of change
But both of them are talking to this ghost from Athens' stage
Realism is the default, o chão debaixo da casa
Default não é opinião — é a base que não se apaga

[Chorus]
Forte faz o que pode, o fraco sofre o que deve
The strong do what they can, the weak bear what they must
Power, interesse, estrutura — isso é o que a gente discute
Sem polícia no mundo, no referee above
Power over promises — that's the realist love

[Outro]
Melos, Morgenthau, Waltz, and Mearsheimer too
Fear and power write the script — agora você já sabe o que fazer

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