Realism has been developed over centuries and is not a clear theory; it has been divided into structural realism and classical realism. Thucydides and Thomas Hobbes were the main initiators in the development of this theory, with their acclaimed work in the History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides 1974) and Hobbes's Leviathan (1981). In their work they develop theories to explain human nature and how it inevitably leads us to war. Both discuss their opposing views on the balance of power principle and how it can be used to explain conflict between nations. In explaining the reasons for George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq in 2003, it is above all the theories of Thucydides that prove most useful, including his idea that human beings will always act in their own self-interest to establish power, and in this case also to obtain resources. Although both theorists have divergent ideas, they both possess a common understanding that war is inevitable. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Thucydides, a classical realist, stated that the most powerful state should strive to rule over other weak nations in his book, History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides, 1974). In the post-Cold War world and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States remained the world's only unrivaled superpower. Bush was disgusted with Saddam Hussein's brutal dictatorial regime and sought to overthrow him to promote peace and democracy throughout the Middle East. However, in the post-9/11 climate, it is likely that Bush wanted to re-establish America's power and spread its global influence, and to do so he believed this could be achieved by toppling Saddam Hussein. Thucydides theorized that countries would always seek to expand their global influence, and Bush saw Iraq as a starting point for domination of the entire Middle East. Iraq, North Korea, Iran and Syria were all countries included in the "Axis of Evil", so Bush invaded Iraq in the hope that there would be a domino effect if America succeeded in overthrowing the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein . Bush essentially hoped that these countries would feel outnumbered and adopt a democratic system under America's influence. Similar to Hobbes, Thucydides had a deeply pessimistic view of human beings and argued that they act only in their own self-interest to establish power. Human beings act in “fear, the desire for glory, and the pursuit of self-interest” (Thucydides 1974, pp.73). Therefore, according to realist theory, this would explain the claim that Bush invaded Iraq to seize their large oil reserves to benefit their own economy with increased global demand for a limited resource. Although the Iraq War caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, Thucydides and other classical realists argue that this would not matter to Bush since he was only acting in his own self-interest. The balance of power theory in Thucydides' perspective can be explained as a circumstance in which the leading nation with the most power tries to reduce the power of its competitor. Bush aimed to achieve the highest levels of power, a universal goal among countries, and also sought to preserve his own independence as well as the independence of all other nations (Mingst, K,A. and Snyder, JL 2017, pp. 128). Bush surrendered to the new unipolar world following the collapse of the Soviet Union and took the opportunity to pursue US agendas and spread the doctrine of.