How involved should the U.S. be - Coursework Example

The Realpolitik Policy According to Holzgrefe and Keohane, realpolitik, as a political ideology, pertains to diplomacy or politics founded mostly on power and other material and practical factors in lieu of explicit moral or ideological principles. Similarly, Baofu associated the policy of realpolitik that integrates the philosophical features of pragmatism and realism, implying that politics is amoral, coercive, or Machiavellian in nature (220). With the terrorist belligerence on the World Trade Center, the U.S. government faced the threat of a prospective fusion of military efforts with enormous weapons of mass destruction, as well as that of religious extremism (Johnston 3).

Since WWII ended, the Middle East has been subjected to unrelenting struggle for stability and social order yet the present circumstances pose a challenge in mitigating the threats imposed by the region in the modern history of American politics. To carry out an effective change in the region; however, it is imperative for the present administration to consider its limitations, especially in terms of organising its strategic approach of materializing its interests in the region (Ross and Jeffrey).

Considering that the Middle East has rich oil resources, the U.S. government should adopt realpolitik approach in its foreign policy not only to strengthen its military presence against terrorism, but most especially to protect its interests for oil supply. Contrary to the perceptions of people from other countries, Keck noted that acceptance of American political values may be precluded from adopting a realpolitik foreign policy. In most instances, American hostility toward realism is largely caused by a conflict of its basic values despite their unconsciousness of formulating foreign policies, which are in fact, governed by a realist approach.

Although the idealistic and isolationist policies could also be an advantage for the U.S., the merits of adopting a policy founded on realpolitik is more appropriate since the Middle East plays a crucial role in American hegemony against the war on terrorism. As an opinion, however, if the U.S. intends to have supremacy of political, social, and economic power on a global scale, it must incorporate a realpolitik approach in their foreign policy to establish positive alliances and materialize their interests in the region.

From a political perspective, Miller observed that the U.S. government succeeded in attacking the central operations in Al Qaeda, and this could be mainly attributed to having a pragmatic and realistic approach in their military intervention. In contrast to idealistic policy, which supports liberal principles and democratic ideals (Hancock 39), the realpolitik ideology may facilitate social order in that the U.S. foreign policy promotes a collective effort in securing balance of power in world politics.

Meanwhile, the isolationist policy promotes the cessation of US involvement in the Middle East, which is to some extent, an advantage for the U.S. since this may imply lesser intervention and military conflicts. In this regard, however, the realpolitik approach only views the Middle East as an outlet for the U.S. government to control its interests in the