Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A usually expansionist national policy having as its sole principle advancement of the national interest.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun politics
Pragmatic international government policy concerned with perceived interests of the nation.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun politics based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term realpolitik was coined by Prussian Prince Otto von Bismarck, who defined politics as "the art of the possible."
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The term realpolitik was coined by Prussian Prince Otto von Bismarck, who defined politics as "the art of the possible."
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Stalin, Chamberlain, and Daladier thought they were engaged in realpolitik at the time.
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Ultimately, the paradox of realpolitik is that realpolitik assumes and is dependent upon the notion that states are rational actors, and yet the practice of realpolitik tends to erode that very principle.
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Stalin, Chamberlain, and Daladier thought they were engaged in realpolitik at the time.
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KOUCHNER: The word realpolitik is a little pejorative.
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In the Iran-Iraq War, short-term realpolitik considerations and factionalism within the administration led the United States to tilt toward Iran, then Iraq, back and forth again and again while secretly arming both sides.
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In the Iran-Iraq War, short-term realpolitik considerations and factionalism within the administration led the United States to tilt toward Iran, then Iraq, back and forth again and again while secretly arming both sides.
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Or the pragmatism and commercial interests that today we call realpolitik?
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Or the pragmatism and commercial interests that today we call realpolitik?
TankHughes commented on the word realpolitik
I read this word in two articles today, so it must be a conspiracy to force me to learn the meaning of the word, and not just let my brain wander and think about apparatchik and beatniks.
November 13, 2015