Realpolitik

Political realism suggests that morality has no place in statecraft. This might have been true at one time. Western values such as freedom and democracy are rooted in Christianity, and those like Kissinger who think themselves unencumbered by their moral heritage are too clever by half. People like Henry Wallace go around saying that, but for what we do, we would not be attacked by Stalin; it’s all a misunderstanding to which we can put an end if we change our behavior. This is a scientific, rather than theological mentality. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” – from this, Wallace concludes that we are omnipotent, and determine our own fate. The possibility of a wrench thrown into such mechanistic thinking by evil is not admitted. It is impossible that Stalin could be malevolent, because people are, at bottom, good – they are like us. There is a failure to contemplate that there really is a difference between Western and other nations.