Realpolitik
Name(s):
Cold War realpolitik
Nature
Realpolitik (German: [ʁeˈaːlpoliˌtiːk]; from German real 'realistic, practical, actual', and Politik 'politics') is the approach of conducting diplomatic or political policies based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than strictly following explicit ideological notions or moral and ethical premises. In this respect, it shares aspects of its philosophical approach with those of realism and pragmatism. It is often simply referred to as pragmatism in politics, e.g. "pursuing pragmatic policies" or "realistic policies".
While generally used as a neutral or positive term, Realpolitik is sometimes also used pejoratively to imply political policies that are perceived as being coercive, amoral, or Machiavellian. Prominent proponents of Realpolitik during the 20th century include Henry Kissinger, George F. Kennan, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and Hans-Dietrich Genscher, as well as politicians such as Charles De Gaulle and Lee Kuan Yew.
Source: Wikipedia
Claim
Foreign policy is developed to back governments in power because they are known, because they claim to be on the same side and embrace the same ideology, even though this is often the only means whereby such governments can stay in power. This tends to ensure that those who eventually replace them will not be equally supportive. In the past the West has managed to waste enormous resources and antagonize whole generations by backing Chiang Kai-shek in China, impotent anti-Communist generals in Indonesia, and the shah in Iran. The West (through the USA, the UK and Australia) actively intervened to oppose the democratic election of Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore in 1959 because of his criticism of colonialism. By contrast, the West quite arbitrarily backs Boris Yeltsin in his forceful dissolution of the national parliament.
Aggravates
Aggravated by
Strategy(ies)
Value(s)
Type
(F) Fuzzy exceptional problems