How often in the world of politics do reality and pragmatic considerations step on moral ideals?
I think that I am somebody who has a good moral basis, foundation — an idealist, but also at various times pragmatic and realistic. That’s why I’ve never liked the division between idealist and realist, as people talk about what their theory of international relations is, because the two have to combine. So I sometimes call myself an idealistic realist or a realistic idealist. I believe that you have to have an overall set of goals and principles. But ultimately politics and foreign policy have to have compromise in it, because you’re dealing with more than just what you want. Foreign policy is trying to get some other country to do what you want. But you do have to figure out what is acceptable, what is doable. Sometimes people say to me, “But, foreign policy is so inconstant.” Well, you can’t do everything everywhere all the time. You have to have a higher set of principles about what you believe — the rule of law. I have talked about in the book the respect for the individual, a sys
