Quote from IR theory just blew my mind

[gildwulf]

Hey all,

I'm a grad student at UChicago in International Relations and just stumbled across something in my readings that you guys might want to fight over:

"Carr's [a Realist theorist] preference for a humane and democratic governance of the international system betrays a fundamental truth. Although men desire peace, it is not their highest value. If it were, peace and peaceful change could easily be achieved; a people need only refuse to defend itself".

Do you agree or disagree and why? Are men inherently peaceful and good? If so, how can you explain what he's saying in this passage?