New Age Islam

Pragmatism and US Foreign Policy

By Inas Younis, New Age Islam

20, January, 2014

For as long as I can remember, Arabs have been admonished for their passivity in the face of brutal autocracies. And now that they are finally rising against tyranny, the voices of the establishment are calling for moderation and restraint. Which begs the question, is there something more nefarious operating here than just old fashion hypocrisy?

Is US Foreign just moody or downright malicious? Perhaps neither. The fickle nature of American foreign policy can only be understood when it is held up against the philosophical tradition which informs its policies. The tradition known as pragmatism. Very simply put, a Pragmatist holds that whatever works is good, and whatever doesn’t is bad. When your source of political guidance is not religion, pragmatism serves as a pretty decent substitute. And although it was reason, not pragmatism which established the principles of a free society, reason fell out of favour when Pragmatism

 

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