Realpolitik or Realism?

The triumphalist optimism produced by the teleological end-of-history thinking that prevailed following the collapse of the Soviet and East European communist states has by now been exposed as naïveté by “the return of history, the revenge of geography, and the end of dreams.” The rekindling of interest in Niccolo Machiavelli's ideas—more precisely, those expounded in The Prince—attests to the revived interest in realism, which continues to demonstrate its resilience and relevance even as pundits proclaim it passé. Bew, a young British historian and rising star who teaches at King's College London, sets out to offer a history of Realpolitik and its offshoots. Moving adroitly across the realms of political theory, history, and practical politics, he offers a learned and engaging account.