History Quotes / Realpolitik

-->-- '''Tarvek Sturmvoraus''', ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' , summarizing what he learned from watching [[TheExtremistWasRight Baron Wulfenbach]] at work

-->-- '''Senator UsefulNotes/HarryTruman''', June 1941 [[note]] printed in McCullough, David, ''Truman'' (New York, 1992) p. 262 [[/note]]

-->-- '''''Series/BurnNotice''''', "Devil You Know"

-->-- '''Anonymous''' (No, really, we don't know who wrote it. Honest.), Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess, Webcomic/GirlGenius

-->-- '''Tarvek Sturmvoraus''', ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' , summarizing what he learned from watching [[TheExtremistWasRight Baron Wulfenbach]] at work.

-->-- '''Tancredi Falconeri''', '''Film/TheLeopard'''.

[[folder:Stand-up comedy]]

->We ''could'' feed them, and we ''did'', with or without the consent of the Senate. But if we could sneak a few outlying planets away from the Empire by doing it, why not?

A man whose allegiance is [[WildCard ruled by expedience]]\\

'Nazi Schmazi', says Wernher von Braun"''

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
->There is an old Vulcan proverb; "Only Nixon could go to China."
-->-- '''Spock''', ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry''

->'''Adm. Dougherty:''' We have the planet. They have the technology. A technology we can't duplicate. You know what that makes us? Partners.\\
'''Cpn. Picard:''' Our partners are nothing more than petty thugs.\\
'''Dougherty:''' On Earth, petroleum once turned "petty thugs" into world leaders.
-->-- ''Film/StarTrekInsurrection''

->In order for everything to remain the same, everything will have to change.
-->-- '''Tancredi Falconeri''', '''Film/TheLeopard'''.
[[/folder]]

->Work in intelligence long enough, you hang on to phone numbers. No matter who your enemy is, there's a chance you'll need them tomorrow. Churchill and Stalin weren't chummy in 1941, but once the Nazis marched on Moscow they got past their differences.
-->-- ''Series/BurnNotice'', "Devil You Know"

->You don't need to make formal alliances with people you trust.

'''Toreno:''' [[HypocrisyNod Well, kind of]], but we get to pick our dictators; degenerates that ''we'' can control. We try to stay the hell away from these guys with "principles" because that just muddies the waters.

->"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock."
-->-- '''Will Rogers'''

->"In politics it is necessary either to betray one's country or the electorate. I prefer to betray the electorate."
-->-- '''UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle'''

->"Politics is like boxing -- you try to knock out your opponents."
-->-- '''UsefulNotes/IdiAmin'''

->"America's unique global power allows it to be the balancer in every region. We balanced Iraq by supporting its weaker neighbors in the UsefulNotes/GulfWar. We balance China by supporting the ring of smaller states at its periphery (from [[UsefulNotes/KoreanWar South Korea]] to Taiwan, even to [[UsefulNotes/VietnamWar Vietnam]])."

->Are you serious? This woman made the Durian Massacres look like a church picnic and Earth wants to give her a grant?

->"I think if this country gets any kinder or gentler, it's literally going to cease to exist."
-->--'''UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump''', 1990 ''Playboy'' interview

->"[[UsefulNotes/HerbertHoover Hoover]] knew that Joe wasn't the best guy in the world to be doing this job. We all did ... But his attitude was, 'Thank God somebody's doing it.' They were fighting the same enemy, you know."
-->--'''Robert J. Morris''', chief counsel to the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security, on Senator Joseph [=McCarthy=]

->'''Huey''': Why do you keep hanging up on me? I’m telling you the truth! The CIA trained Osama Bin Laden in using terrorism against the Soviets during the [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan Reagan]]-[[Creator/GeorgeHWBush Bush]] administration! They gave the Afghanistan rebels countless amounts of covert funding!\\

->''"Yet in the most mean, cowardly, hypocritical way the British ruling class did all they could to hand Spain over to Franco and the Nazis. Why? Because they were [[HobbesWasRight pro-Fascist,]] was the obvious answer."''
-->--'''Creator/GeorgeOrwell''', ''Fighting in Spain ''

->''"You Palestinians can never see the fucking big picture."''

'''Carl "C.J." Johnson:''' ''({{double take}})'' ...Hey, ain't that exactly what ''you'' do?\\

->It all comes down to who's side 'we' are on... or rather, who is on 'our' side. Since 'we' are, by definition and by common sense, the goodies, then our friends must, ipso facto, be goodies too... [[TaughtByTelevision goodies don't ally with baddies]], after all... and so those who attack 'our' friends must, logically, be baddies. This is what responsible journalists call 'living in the real world'.

->''"Politics is the art of the possible."''

->''"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock."''

->''"Great powers have no principles -- only interests."''

->''"[[DirtyBusiness No one is innocent]] after the experience of governing."''

->''"Politics is like boxing -- you try to knock out your opponents."''

->''"We know UsefulNotes/{{Saddam|Hussein}} at one time had weapons of mass destruction because we have the receipts!"''

->''"If we see that [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Germany]] is winning we ought to help [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Russia]], and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany, and that way let them kill as many as possible."''
-->-- '''Senator UsefulNotes/HarryTruman''', June 1941 [[note]] printed in McCullough, David, ''Truman'' (New York, 1992) p. 262 [[/note]]

->''"America's unique global power allows it to be the balancer in every region. We balanced Iraq by supporting its weaker neighbors in the UsefulNotes/GulfWar. We balance China by supporting the ring of smaller states at its periphery (from [[UsefulNotes/KoreanWar South Korea]] to Taiwan, even to [[UsefulNotes/VietnamWar Vietnam]])."''

->''"In politics it is necessary either to betray one's country or the electorate. I prefer to betray the electorate."''
-->-- '''UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle'''

->"[[TheWarOnTerror We got attacked.]]\\

->When your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. [[PragmaticVillainy Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you]]. And any man who must say ‘I am the king’ is no true king at all. Aerys never understood that, but you will. [[DragonInChief When I’ve won your war for you]], we will restore the king’s peace and the king’s justice.

-->--'''Spock''', ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry''

'''Cpn. Picard''': Our partners are nothing more than petty thugs.\\

-->--''Series/StarTrekInsurrection''

-->--'''''Series/BurnNotice''''', "Devil You Know"

-->--'''Garibaldi''', ''Series/BabylonFive'' ([[{{Recap/BabylonFiveS01E09Deathwalker}} "Deathwalker"]])

-->--''Series/HouseOfCardsUS''

-->--'''CJ Cregg''', ''Series/TheWestWing''

-->--''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas''

They’ll turn Europa upside down\\

-->--'''Anonymous''' (No, really, we don’t know who wrote it. Honest.), Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess, Webcomic/GirlGenius

-->--'''[[http://shabogangraffiti.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-town-without-context.html Jack Graham]]''' on ''Series/DoctorWho'', [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS33E3ATownCalledMercy}} "A Town Called Mercy"]]

->Politics is the art of the possible.

->Yet in the most mean, cowardly, hypocritical way the British ruling class did all they could to hand Spain over to Franco and the Nazis. Why? Because they were [[HobbesWasRight pro-Fascist,]] was the obvious answer.

->Politics is the art of choosing between [[BlackAndGreyMorality the disastrous and the unpalatable.]]
-->--'''John Kenneth Galbraith'''

->Great powers have no principles -- only interests.

->[[DirtyBusiness No one is innocent]] after the experience of governing.

->''Politics is like boxing — you try to knock out your opponents.''

->We know UsefulNotes/{{Saddam|Hussein}} at one time had weapons of mass destruction because we have the receipts!
-->--'''Chalmers Johnson'''

->You Palestinians can never see the fucking big picture.
-->--National Security Advisor '''Susan Rice''' to Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat

->America's unique global power allows it to be the balancer in every region. We balanced Iraq by supporting its weaker neighbors in the UsefulNotes/GulfWar. We balance China by supporting the ring of smaller states at its periphery (from [[UsefulNotes/KoreanWar South Korea]] to Taiwan, even to [[UsefulNotes/VietnamWar Vietnam]]).
-->--'''Charles Krauthammer''', ''The Unipolar Moment''

->In politics it is necessary either to betray one's country or the electorate. I prefer to betray the electorate.
-->--'''UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle'''

[[folder:real life]]

-->-- '''Music/TomLehrer''', ''"Wernher von Braun"''

-->'''Spock''', ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry''

To try to claim the Lightning Crown.\\

->''"If we see that [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Germany]] is winning we ought to help [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Russia]], and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany, [[{{Realpolitik}} and that way let them kill as many as possible]]."''

-->--'''—Anonymous (No, really, we don’t know who wrote it. Honest.)''', Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess, Webcomic/GirlGenius

[[folder:web original]]

->It all comes down to who's side 'we' are on... or rather, who is on 'our' side. Since 'we' are, by definition and by common sense, the goodies, then our friends must, ipso facto, be goodies too... [[TaughtByTelevision goodies don't ally with baddies]], after all... and so those who attack 'our' friends must, logically, be baddies. This is what responsible journalists call 'living in the real world'.
-->--'''[[http://shabogangraffiti.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-town-without-context.html Jack Graham]]''' on ''Series/DoctorWho'', [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS33E3ATownCalledMercy}} "A Town Called Mercy"]]