ABSTRACT
Political realism, by contrast, emphasizes the falsity of moralistic rhetoric. Realism will mean the combination of two propositions, one descriptive and one normative. The descriptive proposition is that social groups, especially nations, usually act in pursuit of their perceived interests. Realism, so defined, need not lead to rejection of all ethical considerations in political policy. It does require exploration of the role that ethics actually plays and can play in politics. The chapter explores some of the relations between power and morality in foreign policy. A forceful argument—indeed, a moral argument—can be directed against moralism in foreign policy. To argue for morality in foreign policy is not necessarily to neglect all the wisdom of realism. William Temple, an eminent Archbishop of Canterbury, used to say: “A statesman who supposes that a mass of citizens can be governed without appeal to their self-interest is living in a dreamland and is a public menace.”
