Political scientists have rightly been accused of “physics envy.” I do not want to open myself up to the charge of “polis envy.” I do, however, want to go back to the Greeks and their thoughts about politics for the conceptual foundations of my theory. I recognize that the Greeks of the classical period lived in a very different world, where the city state (polis) was the principal unit and source of identity, and where politics, and all important relationships, were conducted face to face among people long acquainted with one another. Democracy, where it existed, was direct, with most or all important issues being debated and voted on in public assemblies. Politics was entirely the preserve of adult male citizens, and the criteria for citizenship, even in Athens, were extremely restrictive. Women, children, slaves and resident aliens performed, at most, ceremonial roles.

Despite these striking differences, the great playwrights and political thinkers of classical Greece still speak to us and their writings remain the starting point of our reflections on a wide range of ethical and political issues. Thucydides (460–c. 390 BCE), Plato (427–347 BCE) and Aristotle (384–322 BCE) provide the foundations for theories of politics and international relations. Their insights are timeless, but only in part due to their indisputable genius.