Realpolitik

Today marks the anniversary in which President Nixon announced that he would visit communist China. It was a landmark event in the history of US foreign policy and it embodied a foreign policy worldview, first coined by Henry Kissinger (Secretary of State at the time), as "realpolitik".

Realpolitik basically says (definition courtesy of The History Channel), that this is a policy of "politics that favored dealing with other powerful nations in a practical manner rather than on the basis of political doctrine or ethics". Take a minute to digest that.

This opened the way for the US to enter into economic relations with China and change the free-market as we know it, flooding it with a myriad of cheaper manufactured goods - despite the human rights' atrocities that occur daily (Tibet, or the most recent Uighur protests and violence). It also currently allows us to turn a blind eye on human rights' atrocities occurring in Russia (check out this article and remember the situation with Georgia last summer). Other examples of realpolitik? How about turning a blind eye on Rwanda (not a powerful enough nation to warrant our attention), or not mentioning anything when former General Musharraf gained power by virtue of a coup (and then becoming our "ally" when we invaded Afghanistan in 2002?). How about continuing to support Israel, even as it demolishes Palestinian neighborhoods and builds a literal wall around the West Bank? How about supporting Saudi Arabia as it promotes radical, fundamental Wahhabi Islam, denigrates its female population, and employs migrant Indian workers (who are no better than indentured servants) while the entire population lives off royalties from oil?

Realpolitik allows the US to turn a blind eye on many things, allowing practicality and logic to dictate foreign policy. But the question has got to be, is this a good thing?

I truly don't know. I don't know when a state on the scale of the United States should step into conflicts and try to help the situation. Do you try to help a failed state like Somalia and risk another Black Hawk Down occurring? Do you go against the political power and money of the Jewish lobby and say that no, we will not support Israel's tactics against Palestine? Do you try to stop genocide occurring in Sudan? Do you confront an economic and military powerhouse like China about it's human rights violations that it flaunts in front of us? Do you rescue North Koreans from an insane dictator that is hellbent on starving his people before he launches a nuclear missile? What dictates a state's foreign policy? Economics? Or ethics? Sell your soul or be guided by principles? Can it be both? Or should it be neither?

What do you think? What should the role of a state like the US be in the realm of world politics? Isolate itself so that we do not "meddle" in the affairs of other states and do nothing; help ethnic minorities throw off the restrictions of a dictatorship so that they might have a chance at the basic human right of freedom; rescue those suffering from gross human rights' injustices; or follow a combination of economic-ethical policies that allow us to turn a blind eye on some things, but not others?

It's not an easy answer.

What's On?

This is the question that I find myself asking most evenings when I finally make it out of the office and walk into my apartment, after facing the difficult task of figuring out what I am going to eat. There really isn't any good television right now - nothing that is a not-to-be missed show, with the exception of three shows:



Lost - This one should just go without saying. This is one of the best shows I have ever seen. I love every episode (for the most part) and it always keeps me interested. There are so many twists and nuances to each episode. The characters are amazing and the development of them is phenomenal. It just simply is a fantastic story/mystery that has me wrapped around it's finger. I will be very sad when the last episode airs this season. (Thank goodness summer baseball starts like two weeks later.)



Deadliest Catch - My favorite reality show right now. It probably should be called a docu-reality show. Every episode has me on the edge of my seat, because the conditions that these men work in and come through, are unreal. Last night a ship fishing for cod, away from the crab fleet that the show follows, went down in the Bering Sea, and the cameras followed the Coast Guard as they combed through seas that were experiencing hurricane conditions. This ship was 900 miles away from the nearest Coast Guard station and it took them 7 hours to get to its location. Watching them comb the sea was gut-wrenching because there was very little chance for survivors. And as they found an empty life-raft, my heart just sank further. The episode ended with them finding a man who, though he was in a survival suit, had succumbed to the treachery and conditions of the Bering Sea. This is the reality that the crab-men fish in, and to see the shots of the Bering Sea wash over their boats, and still watch them setting crab pots, with hurricane winds and seas was absolutely unreal. On a much, much lighter note, Crosby on the Wizard should be on the Bachelor - very hot. (Though, the last fisherman the Bachelor had, Byron, turned out to be a kind of a nut job - or at least the girl he picked is - so maybe not.)


My Boys - If you've never seen this sweet comedy, you should check it out. Such a sweet, fun comedy! Besides, the main character on the show, PJ, is a girl that is sort of after my own heart. The show has kind of grown from what it started as, but it has grown in a good way. Jim Gaffigan is absolutely hilarious on this show - I probably laughed for 5 minutes at his part last night. So glad that TBS continues to support this series.

Other shows that I am looking forward to recording this summer - Burn Notice and hopefully a new season of ABDC (fingers crossed!!). Check out Burn Notice on USA if you haven't had a chance. Jeffrey Donovan is awesome, as is the rest of the supporting cast.

Everything else you should just follow through the recaps on EW.com. The people who write for EW.com are hilarious and you don't need to watch any episodes, unless you want to laugh in agreement with their assessments!