realpolitik means Pragmatic, often expansionist, diplomacy and politics focused on perceived national interests of the state to the near exclusion of ethical, moral, and theoretical objectives. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
Why this word is great
REALPOLITIK — [Noun] A pragmatic doctrine of statecraft that prioritizes a state's practical national interests and the accretion of power over ideological, ethical, or moral objectives. From German Realpolitik, from real ("real, practical") + Politik ("politics"). Unlike "idealism," which navigates by the fixed stars of principle, or "moralism," which wears its conscience as a uniform, realpolitik is the cold arithmetic of survival. It is the handshake with a tyrant to secure a vital resource, the silent acquiescence to a border atrocity for a favorable trade pact, and the deliberate forsaking of an ally who has become a liability—the grim recognition that the world is not a moral theater, but a chessboard where the only sin is checkmate.
noun
- Pragmatic, often expansionist, diplomacy and politics focused on perceived national interests of the state to the near exclusion of ethical, moral, and theoretical objectives.“It is Realpolitik in sport, and a Realpolitik which is not wholly unknown in England; but while the spirit of Realpolitik is still perceivable in German sport, it is equally perceivable that the standard English way of viewing sporting competition is becoming more and more approached in Germany.”