Reflections Week IV

In discussing the pursuit of wealth and its effect on the increased possibility of peace, Lauren brought up an argument from an article that I found particularly interesting. An important aspect to the discussion question, she noted John Mearsheimer’s article, “Liberal Talk, Realist Thinking,” which touched on the role of both realism and liberalism in American society and government. Is American foreign policy behavior really led by realist logic?

Its people often characterize the values and ideals of the United States as being of high moral standard, democratic, good-willed, and marked by freedom. Because these ideals hold much fundamental truth and are steeped in a long history, they are ingrained into its society with a sense of nationalism. Could the government use these standards to enforce foreign political action as a “moral high road,” in an attempt to cover manipulative motives of self-interest? Possibly, especially when driven by an offensive realist policy; however, when considering influences from a defensive realist policy striving for security, are these motives really immoral? The more wealth, power, and responsibility a country has, the more it must protect its assets, both for its own benefit and in its relations with others. Therefore, persuading people with values of liberalism and democracy may not necessarily be considered “a gap between rhetoric and reality” (Kennan). Taking care of oneself as a nation is crucial in order to ensure survival, yet rationalizing negotiations with other nations and maintaining security for the benefit of all is also a nation's responsibility. The driving intentions of the US for the goodwill of all people might not always be entirely clear to everyone, yet important decisions in times of war, etc. that will profoundly impact others must still be made and made with honorable purpose. “American foreign policy behavior led by realist logic” does not always show signs of hypocrisy, even as the US may be making decisions with some measure of self-interest. Self-interest characterized by liberal thought and the pursuit of well-being for all marked the US’s involvement in the Cold War and World War II. Even as the US portrayed the Soviet Union in a dark light, the objective of the allies was to attain security of the US as well as the rest of the world.

Therefore, a conflict between pursuit of power and pursuit of principle might indicate the delicate balance of realism and liberalism that should mark the very morality with which the US has come to be identified.