Good people imagine that their government should also be good and do good in the world—especially Americans. It’s in our idea of ourselves going back to the Declaration of Independence. It was Carter’s campaign slogan in 1976. We don’t take naturally to realpolitik, and insofar as Carter resisted it he achieved some worthy goals, none bigger than making human rights a permanent part of our foreign policy language—even as lip service. Without that, anything can be justified by the national interest. So let’s never give up the idea, but it’s not what governments are for. Be unhappy when high
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