by Eric Swanson
The Melian Dialogue by Thucydides is a classic that describes the overpowering Classical Realist view on international politics. In this dialogue between the Athenians and the Melians, the Athenians have come to this island to take over the Melians. Fortunately, the Athenians have sent representatives to the Melian council to give them the option of either being a tribute-paying state of Athens, or to be destroyed. However, the Melian people are trying to convince the Athenians to understand the principle that their people are neutral to the whole Athens vs. Sparta Conflict. The Melians, during this conflict, explain to the Athenians that if they attack their country many terrible repercussions will ensue from the Athenians attacking a neutral country.
The Melians raise the point during the dialogue that they are a neutral country and should be left alone. When the Athenians are asked to allow the Melians to be a neutral country, the Athenians cannot allow it. The reason is that the Athenians believe they would be considered weak to allow such a small and insignificant country to not be ruled by them. However, the Melians try to reason with the Athenians and try to point them to the folly of their thinking by calling on issues of fair play. The Melians believe that if they are so insignificant to the Athenians then they should be left alone, because that would mean they are not a threat to the Athenians in any way. The Melians wonder how “that no distinction should be made between people who are quite unconnected with [the Athenians] and people who are mostly [the Athenians] own colonists or else rebels whom [the Athenians] have conquered?” (102) Where is the fair play in that? Taking advantage of a smaller country just because a bigger country can, seems to the Melians to be unfair and an injustice. The Melians believe neutral countries should live in harmony with all other countries.
However, still, the Athenians wish to destroy the Melians. The Melians then call on the Athenians own sense of security for their empire. The Melians try to impress on the Athenians that if they destroyed a neutral country when it was not provoked, that other countries would take up arms against the Athenians to prevent the Athenians from devouring their country as well. The Melians state that “Is in not certain that you will make enemies of all states who are at present neutral, when they see what is happening here and naturally conclude that in course of time you will attack them too?”(102) They remind the Athenians that they can’t patrol and stop all forms of attack and looting if they create too many enemies by picking on the smaller countries. The Melians tell the Athenians that their empire’s security depends on them knowing when to fight and when to defend and fighting a neutral country is not safe for their security. “So, instead of troubling about a country which has nothing to do with you, you will find trouble near home, among your allies, and in your own country.”(103) The Melians try to reason with the Athenians so that both parties protect their own countries by not fighting a battle that ultimately will destroy the sovereignty of their states.
Finally, the Melians are reduced to threatening the Athenians directly. The Melians remind the Athenians that if the Athenians choose to follow this course and destroying the Melians, the Spartans out of honor would come to their aid and fight the Athenians. This would entail more loss of lives and property on the Athenians part. The Melians again try to reason with the stubborn Athenians that attacking such a smaller nation-state would accomplish nothing in the end, but bloodshed.
In the end, the Melians decided to defend their nation-state against the Athenians Army and Navy. The Melians eventually do lose the battle and were tragically not aided by the Spartans. In the end, the Classical Realism theory of international politics did win this battle. However, the Melians ideas and beliefs do bear some weight to the absolute gain of a nation.
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Date this page was last updated: 12/06/2002