I’ve been studying political realism over and over again since I first read Sun Tzu’s Art of War for my International Relations class in college, until I went to grad school, and eventually when I joined the academia, there will always be at least one undergraduate class I’m handling where I have to reiterate the mainstream international relations theories, including realism.

In a nutshell, political realism tells us that the international system operates under an anarchic system, therefore states have no choice but to be self-reliant to protect itself from external threats, and the only way to ensure security is to accumulate as much power as possible.

Security Studies, Wars, and Conflicts has always been my area of interest (Foreign Policy comes in a close second) because I was always interested as to why states behave a certain way, and this also stems from my interest on anything behavioral sciences, like psychology, sociology, and anthropology. On a personal level, I have this obsession in analyzing people and their behavior in an effort to develop more empathy and to also help myself develop an increased self-awareness to better my relationships with people.

But before that, let’s do a little weather check. You know I always, always love the rainy days, right?

So here’s the thing: I’m working on bettering my relationships with people. I have this “strong, independent woman” vibe (which is literally accurate, I swear to God), but whenever I find myself in a relationship, I start to lose it, become complacent, and just surrender my life, decisions, and a lot of things to the people I’m with. I think I’m still a people pleaser after all, no matter how much I deny it.

I’m working on saying “no” more to people and assert my wants and needs. I’m working on avoiding to be manipulated. I’ve worked hard to be the “strong, independent woman” that I am today and I’m not in any way throwing it away for some people who don’t even deserve any part of me.

Anyway, my point is, this time I’m unleashing the Stephen Walt and John J. Mearsheimer inside of me lol. I’m going to apply the rules of realism and laws of warfare in my own daily lives. True enough this human race is living in an anarchic world, let alone “strong, independent women” like me who can only rely on no one but ourselves.