ethical realism

1. Ethical Realism A Vision for America�s Role in the World� Book by Anatol Lieven & John Hulsman Presentation by Lisa Pogue

2. Misconceived Notions America is so powerful and good that it has the ability to spread democracy throughout the world. America can spread democracy through war. The spread of American democracy will advance U.S. national interests. A combination of the three notions listed above will be supported by good people all over the world, regardless of their political traditions, national allegiances, and national interests. Democracy automatically brings international peace, economic development, and the acceptance of American supremacy.

3. Sources of Ethical Realism Reinhold Niebuhr Hans Morgenthau George Kennan

5. Hans Morgenthau Father of modern realism in the United States Politics Among Nations dealt with American foreign policy Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany

6. George Kennan Wrote the �Long Telegram� setting the strategy of containment Disillusioned with later U.S. strategy , with its mixture of militarization and messianic belief in American superiority

7. Common Interests of Modern Great Powers Committed to some form of capitalist economics and an orderly world market Common interest in resisting threats to the present world system from terrorists, extremists, and revolutionaries All of the major countries hold a stake in the current world

8. The Cold War Lessons from Truman and Eisenhower

9. Truman Administration The National Security Act of 1941 Marshall Plan NATO Korean War�limited war Did not turn the Korean War into a world war George Kennan was the head of the U.S. embassy in Moscow Henry Wallace

10. The Eisenhower Administration Claimed not to support containment because of Truman�s unpopularity, yet he practiced it Limited war�His popularity allowed him to practice it �Solarium Exercise� Fear of the �garrison state� Fiscal responsibility Moral authority

11. Then And Now� CIA�Department of Homeland Security Did not ask for sacrifices from the American people for the war effort and did not make hard choices in foreign policy in order to focus on the enemy National Debt Obsessed with states rather than terrorists People must see that siding with America brings jobs, services, education, and basic security American left criticizes what America is, rather than what it is doing

12. The Failure of Rollback and Preventive War �There is nothing more foolish than to think that war can be stopped by war. You don�t prevent anything but peace.� -Harry S. Truman

13. Preventive War from 1940s to Today No one seriously claims that it would have been right to launch a preventive nuclear war to destroy a Soviet Union that was always weaker than it seemed and eventually crumbled on its own �Ideological cookie cutter� Example: secular radical Arab nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism are believed to be the same phenomenon

14. Ethical Realism History is blind, but man is not. Robert Penn Warren, All the King�s Men

15. Theologian Reinholt Niebuhr �There is only one empirically provable element in Christian theology, namely that �All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.� The prophets never weary of warning both the powerful nations and Israel, the righteous nation, of the judgment which waits on human pretension. The great nation, Babylon is warned that its confidence in the security of its power will be refuted by history�Israel [in the Bible] is undoubtedly a �good� nation as compared to the nations surrounding it. But the pretensions of virtue are as offensive to God as the pretensions of power. One has the uneasy feeling that America as both a powerful nation and a �virtuous� one is involved in the ironic perils which compound the experiences of Babylon and Israel.�

16. Morgenthau �Political realism refuses to identify the moral aspirations of a popular nation with the moral laws that govern the universe�The light-hearted equation between a particular nationalism and the very counsels of Providence is morally indefensible, for it is the very sin of pride against which the Greek tragedians and the Biblical prophets warned rulers and ruled. The equation is also politically pernicious, for it is liable to engender the distortion in judgment which, in the blindness of crusading frenzy, destroys nations and civilizations.�

17. Tenets of Ethical Realism Prudence Humility Study Responsibility Patriotism Community of reason

18. Democracy and the Great Capitalist Peace Example of the British Empire U.S. Power�Global but limited Folly of Democratism Needs Nationalism Must recognize what exists Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya Prosperity and patriotism (different from all-out nationalism) Economy The Four Freedoms Freedom of speech and expression Freedom of worship Freedom from want Freedom from fear Choose between evils Leaders represent their states and go after their own national interests that do not always agree with U.S. national interests.

19. The Great Capitalist Peace Relations with the most powerful countries in the world are central to our national security strategy. Our priority is pursuing American interests within cooperative relationships, particularly with our oldest and closest friends and allies. At the same time, we must seize the opportunity�unusual in historical terms�of an absence of fundamental conflict between great powers. Another priority, therefore, is preventing the reemergence of the great power rivalries that divided the world in previous eras� The struggle against militant Islamic radicalism is the great ideological conflict of the early years of the 21st Century and finds the great powers all on the same side�opposing the terrorists. This circumstance differs profoundly from the ideological struggles of the 20th century, which saw the great powers divided by ideology as well as by national interest. -National Security Strategy of 2006

20. The Way Forward �The objective of foreign policy is relative and conditional: to bend, not break, the will of the other side as far as necessary in order to safeguard one�s own vital interests without hurting those of the other side. The methods of foreign policy are relative and conditional: not to advance by destroying the obstacles in one�s way, but to retreat before them, to maneuver around them, to soften and dissolve them slowly by means of persuasion, negotiation, and pressure.� -Hans Morganthau

21. Russia and the Former Soviet Union Slanted news coverage makes many Americans unaware that Russia�s continued power and influence in the former Soviet Union is not due to �Russian Imperialism� and Russian pressure on its neighbors Close ties to Russia are supported by majorities or large minorities of the population of many satellite countries.

22. More on the Former Soviet Union The U.S. has four vital interests in the former Soviet Union Keep Russian weapons and materials of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorists and prevent potentially dangerous countries like Iran from acquiring such weapons. With Russia, help prevent Islamist revolution and the creation of safe havens for Islamist terrorists in the Muslim regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus. Preserve reasonably open international access to the energy reserves of Central Asia and the Caucasus Prevent the outbreak of major new conflicts within or between states in the region. Create a European security council.

23. China America should reduce both its budget deficit and its trade deficit with China. Its approach to the latter should be gradual and incremental, strengthening America�s position without triggering a disastrous trade war. Americans must realize that domination of East Asia is now impossible The Chinese must recognize that it is equally impossible for them to replace American domination with their own unilateral hegemony. The Americans and Chinese must recognize that no possible gains to either from a clash between them could compensate for the damage that such a clash would do to both their economies.

25. Israeli-Palestinian Peace Al Qaeda gains support from the conflict. The Palestinians must forfeit the right of refugee return to Israel, except for some very limited and symbolic cases of family reunification. The Palestinian refugees and their descendants must be compensated for their lost land and property at a level set by an international tribunal, and to an extent that will not only allow them to create prosperous and contented lives, but will also transform the economic prospects of the countries where they live Symbolic contributions to this compensation should be made by Israel and the United States, but the overwhelming share should be paid by the Europeans. If the Europeans object, they should be reminded of Europe�s historical responsibility for anti-Semitism, and therefore indirectly for the creation of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict The U.S. Congress will compensate Israel for the withdrawal of West Bank settlements

26. More on Israeli-Palestinian Peace The Palestinian Authority and all the major Arab states that have funded it must sign the settlement treaty, recognize the state of Israel with in the agreed borders, and formally pledge not to support violence against Israel. Israel should do the same The treaty should be witnessed and guaranteed by all members of the U.N. Security Council Israel must recognize an independent Palestinian state with full sovereign rights, subject to security guarantees acceptable to Israel. The border should take as a point of departure the 1967 boundaries, because only this formula has international recognition. In practice, Israel would annex the largest existing settlement blocs in the West Bank, including the great majority of Jewish settlers, in return for due compensation to the Palestinian state. The Palestinian state must be contiguous, viable, have free access to the outside world, and cover the great majority of the land of the existing Palestinian territories. The Palestinian capital should be in East Jerusalem and there should be a guaranteed and uninterrupted road and rail links between the West Bank and Gaza

27. Pakistan Pakistan could be a vital ally Long-term commitment Water Education Transport route The transport route will also help Iran, providing a means to dissuade their nuclear program. In return for suspending their nuclear program, the U.S. will integrate Iran into the world economy and new regional transport networks. The transport route would provide Afghanistan with stability and an alternative to heroine production.

28. Containing the Iraq Civil War There should be a regional conference to discuss the future of Iraq. Include Iran, Saudi Arabia, America, and Israel Ex: Kosovo First, contain the Iraqi civil war All regional states must agree to respect Iraq�s existing borders, accept a federal framework of Iraq with guaranteed ethnic power-sharing at the center, and not arm opposing factions and risk a regional war.

29. Dealing With Iran Incremental approach U.S. and Iran are combating the drug trade. We can�t just tell the Iranians to abandon their nuclear programs The Iranians have suggested that they would accept a small, limited, and strictly inspected enrichment program. �We don�t like Hezbollah, but we recognize that it is the democratic representative of the great majority of Lebanese Shia, and there�s nothing we can or will do about that� A demand that Hezbollah disarm would result in a new civil war and the return of Syrian domination. Tehran should use its links to persuade Hezbollah not to attack us or seriously attack Israel.

31. Dealing with Iran�s Nuclear Prospects Go back to the letter of the NPT and allow strictly limited and controlled Iranian enrichment if the major powers will sign a binding international agreement setting what the major powers and other signatory nations will do if Iran breaks its word and does weaponize. Russia would be allowed to boost its international prestige by taking the diplomatic lead in the matter. The international agreement would be signed in Moscow. The U.S. would use this to make Russia�s adherence to its word on this question the top determinant of future U.S.- Russian relations. The U.S. must learn to �play chess� by Iranian rules.

32. Developmental Realism Free trade encourages nations to acquiesce to developed nations national interests. Agriculture and no protectionism The middle class is a stabilizing factor. Set an example Aid given to countries based on two principals: Truly important to vital U.S. interests States concerned are sufficiently honest and effective to absorb this aid effectively A strong middle class is needed for a stable democracy to exist.

33. The End.