Realists also diverge on some issues. So-called Offensive Realist maintain that, in order to ensure survival, States will seek to maximize their power relative to others (Mearsheimer 2001).If rival countries possess enough power to threaten a states, it can never be safe.----Hegemony is thus the best strategy for a countries to pursue, if it can.
Defensive Realists, in contract, believe that domination is an unwise strategy for states survival(Waltz 1979). They note that seeking hegemony may bring a states into dangerous conflict with its peers. Instead, defensive Realist emphasize the stability of----balance of power systems, where a roughly equal distribution of power amongst states ensures that none will risk attacking another. ’Polarity’---the distribution power amongst the Great Power--- is thus a key concept in Realist theory