By Spyros Tsaparas, Junior Analyst KEDISA
Introduction
The fall of the Soviet Union marked the end of an era where states had as an official policy survival, security and national interest or as described by international relations theory, Raison d’état. This practice of classical statecraft was succeeded by the ideals of liberal idealism as the biggest ideological competitor of the West had fallen, Western ideals swarmed the world and created a hegemonic liberal order across the globe. However, after almost three decades later, Raison d’état seems to return to global politics and especially in the Liberal West. The following article will examine how Raison d’état can be defined, and in what ways it has reentered Western politics.
Defining Raison d’état
In order to examine how Raison d’état has made a return in Western political life, it is crucial first to define it. One of the most prominent statesmen that practiced foreign policy according to the realist school of thought was Henry Kissinger. He served as a secretary of state under U.S. president Richard Nixon from 1973 to 1977 while his time in office was characterized by the fact that the Cold War was at its hottest point, with ideological wars taking place across the globe as the two superpowers of the time, the capitalist United States and the socialist Soviet Union were trying to gain ground on one another. Kissinger wrote and practiced Raison d’état making him the most suitable modern political figure for his work to be used as a basis of defining the term. In his book “Diplomacy” written in 1994 he pinpoints the first practitioner of Raison d’état as the 17th century chief minister of France, Cardinal Richelieu. In a time where European foreign policy was dominated by religious dogma Richelieu, amidst the 30 years’ war, aligned catholic France with protestant powers to battle the Roman Catholic Holy Roman Empire. His actions are pinpointed by Kissinger as the definition of Raison d’état because Richelieu ignored the status quo of foreign policy and looked to serve the direct interest of the state which was to prevent the encirclement of the country by the Hapsburg dynasty. He saw religion as a means to an end and even used it to secure the survival of his country. By the standards of his time, his ways were unorthodox but because he separated moralism from foreign policy, he was able to not only limit Habsburg influence in Europe but also paved the way for France to become a major European power. Because of those reasons Cardinal Richelieu is regarded by Kissinger as the first practitioner of Raison d’état. Moreover, while Kissinger uses historical examples to make his point, he also uses direct definitions to terms such as Raison d’état. In the book, Kissinger distinguishes Raison d’état not as immoral but rather as amoral. According to him the highest authority a state is accountable for is its own interest, so morality is shaped by that goal. In the book he compares it with the exact opposite which is idealist foreign policy most knowingly used by the United States after World War I as it was later to be known as Wilsonianism. In conclusion, Raison d’état as defined by Henry Kissinger, is the practice of classical statecraft where a state places as its main foreign policy objective the advancement of its interests without considering outside factors that hold it morally accountable. By that definition the argument is going to be made that Raison d’état is making a return in modern Western politics.
The Case of The United States
In classic political fashion, the United States leads once again this new political trend of making realism relevant again. From the end of World War I and Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points all the way to present day and Biden’s military support program of Ukraine, idealism was the term best associated with U.S. foreign policy. That meant either building institutions that would ensure peace in the world would be maintained (United Nations, NATO etc.) or fighting against authoritarianism either with military force or through diplomatic maneuvering. However, with the second presidential victory of Donald Trump it is becoming increasingly clear that this is no longer the case. Not even a month in taking office, Trump announced tariffs on “enemy countries” like Mexico and China to either combat illegal immigration or to challenge the increasing influence on the global economy in the case of China. Both countries were hit by 25% tariffs on all imported goods but in surprising terms also Canadian crude oil was met with a lower 10% tariff when imported into the U.S.[1] While one might understand the tariffs on Mexico and China, tariffs on Canada are exactly a playbook strategy of Raison d’état. This is the case because those tariffs have as a goal to increase the value of the American economy, prioritizing national interest in classic textbook realist theory and keeping the amoral character of the strategy true as well as the tariffs were also placed on a traditional American ally and a trusted NATO member, Canada. While there has been skepticism on the effectiveness of tariffs in terms of improving the American economy [2], the symbolism of such an action cannot be denied. Not only it strongly opposes Liberal Theory as it opposes free trade by placing tariffs on it, but it also goes against the age-old dogma that the United States are serving liberalist ideals. Under Trump such actions indicate a shift of the Liberal Hegemony of the past to realism and pragmatism as an official U.S. policy. Additionally, it is also important to note the timing of these executive orders being signed. They were introduced not even a month into Trump’s presidency signaling in an almost theatrical way the introduction of an era where the world’s biggest economy looks at its own interest first without concerning itself with the moral side of it, or to put it simpler the return of the era of Raison d’état.
The Case of Italy
Besides the United States, within the heart of Europe, we can see a similar trend taking place in Italy and more specifically since 2022 when Italian prime minister Georgia Meloni took office. In the issue of illegal immigration Raison d’état is being adopted to combat it. Specifically, since Meloni took office, there was a distinct drop in illegal immigrants coming to Italy by 60% from 2023 to 2024 and there was a successful attempt by Italian lobbying groups to change the immigration policy of the European Union as a whole making it less tolerant to illegal immigrants [3]. According to Kissinger, Italy is operating actively according to the principles of Raison d’état as the state looks to serve its own interest first. According to the Italian prime minister, illegal immigrants were hurting the Italian state, so measures were adopted in order to stop the flow of them by any means necessary. Not only that but Italy went as far as to reform the European Union’s migration policy so Italian interests could further be served. Not only is Italy under Meloni looking to advance the interest of the state by any means necessary but it also consistent with the amoral character of Raison d’état as well. That is the case because many of those policies to combat illegal immigration have resulted in many migrants’ lives being lost at sea[4]. Similarly to Trump’s tariffs policies who were introduced in a very short period of time after taking office, Meloni also implemented some of the policies regarding illegal immigration within her first month of taking office and introduced them with her first speech in parliament. In summary, Italy under Georgia Meloni is a state navigated by Raison d’état as seen by its immigration policy. Not only it focuses on advancing state interests in the home country but also in the whole of Europe too as it also does so while adapting an amoral character as many of those policies, while successful at lowering the percentage of illegal immigrants coming into Italy have cost the lives of a significant amount of people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the cases of the United States and Italy signal a broader trend taking effect across the Western world. Not only are states looking away from Liberal ideals but also, they are also shifting to a more pragmatist foreign policy, whether that means economically attacking both allies and foes or combating immigration with human lives on the line. Essentially, Raison d’état takes pride once again in the spotlight and politics of the past are once again becoming present. The future of Western politics is evolving from idealism to pragmatism as new players enter the political arena which could either shutter the Western centric approach to politics or justify further its existence. The result of this will be determined by the effectiveness of traditional statecraft.
Bibliography
BBC. Giorgia Meloni: Italy’s New PM Takes Aim at Migrant Boats in Debut Speech. 25 October 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63383608.
Giuseppe Adamo. ‘Italy’s Evolving Approach to Illegal Immigration under Giorgia Meloni’. Italy. Institute of New Europe, 17 February 2025. https://ine.org.pl/en/italys-evolving-approach-to-illegal-immigration-under-giorgia-meloni/.
Horsley Scott and Joe Hernandez. ‘Trump Imposes New Tariffs on Imports from Mexico, Canada and China in New Phase of Trade War’. Business. NPR, 2 February 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/02/01/g-s1-46010/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-and-china-imports.
Kissinger, Henry. Diplomacy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994
Pamela Heaven. ‘Why Trump Might Have to Cut Tariffs — (Spoiler, They’re Not Working) | Financial Post’. Accessed 29 October 2025. https://financialpost.com/news/trump-might-have-to-cut-tariffs-not-working.
Endnotes
[1] Horsley Scott and Joe Hernandez, ‘Trump Imposes New Tariffs on Imports from Mexico, Canada and China in New Phase of Trade War’.
[2] Pamela Heaven, ‘Why Trump Might Have to Cut Tariffs — (Spoiler, They’re Not Working) | Financial Post’.
[3] Giuseppe Adamo, ‘Italy’s Evolving Approach to Illegal Immigration under Giorgia Meloni’.
[4] BBC, Giorgia Meloni: Italy’s New PM Takes Aim at Migrant Boats in Debut Speech.
