Morgenthau's classic text, published in 1948, not only introduced the concept of political realism, but also established it as the dominant approach in international relations and the guiding philosophy of US foreign policy during the Cold War. Politics Among Nations begins with a discussion of the principles that guide political realism. Most important among these are the arguments that, one, there are objective laws that govern politics, rooted in human nature—and, two, the main force driving international politics is the desire of states to accumulate power, relative to other states. Morgenthau discusses the details of the theory in relation to international politics and draws from numerous cases across history.