TheKaleidoscopeofAmericanForeignPolicy 49atmospherefromthatoftheinterpersonalrelationshipsofmostprivate
citizens.Thislendsa curiousmoralairtointernationaldiplomacy,one
farremovedfromthemoralityandhabitsofthoughtthatmakefora
healthydomesticsociety.SincethePeaceofWestphaliain1648,Euro-
peanstateshaveexistedina moralvacuum-thecynicalpragmatism
ofthecuiusregio.Thisisthewarofeachagainstall,oneinwhichprom-
isesaremadetobebrokenandinwhichMachiavellireignsaspatron
saint.
This does notmean, as self-consciously Nietzscheanhyperrealists
sometimesthink, thatnationsalwaysbehavetreacherously.Allthings
beingequal,itisgenerallybetterforstatestokeeptheirpromisesandto
beperceived,asoftenaspossible,asupholdersofinternationallawand
pillarsofrighteousness.Asincivillife,themostsuccessfulparticipants
do notadvertise their transgressions. They are not generally found
amongmotorcyclegangs;theydonottattooskullsontheirbiceps;they
donotboastoftheirwilltopowerandtheircriminalrecords.Instead
theywearpinstripes,jointheEpiscopalChurch,andhirelawyersand
accountantstoensurethattheirbusinesspractices,whatevercanbesaid
froma moralpointofview,remain-ifonlybyawhisker-ontheright
sideofthelaw.Iftheyortheircorporationsshouldbecaughtinsome
illegalordisgracefulact,theyhiremorelawyersandBackstoputthe
bestlightpossibleonwhateverhasoccurred.Successfulgovernmentsdo
likewise;thebombastofaggressionandtherhetoricofconquestarethe
marksofanamateuroutofhisdepth.
Anyonecanbeimmoral,buttheacco~plishedamoralityofdiplo-
macyismoredifficulttoacquire.Asahabitofminditisgenerallycon-
finedtoelites,partlybecauseitspossessionusuallyleadstosuccessful
careers.Again,Continentalistsarenotwrongtoobservea tendencyin
democraticstatesforpublicopiniontooscillatebetweena naivebelief
thattheinternationalworldissimplya largerversionofthedomestic
arena,a spacethatcanandshouldberunonthesameprinciplesas the
localchurchoratleasttheneighborhoodhardwarestore,anda disillu-
sionedconvictionthattherearenoprinciples,notevenanypragmatic
ones,ininternationallife.Inotherwords,democraciestendeithertorise
aboveorsinkbelowthemoralityappropriatetotheinternationalscene.
Ademocracycan,sotospeak,easilyhavetoomanydrinksandthenpay
a sordidcallona prostitute;itismuchharderfora democracytomain-
taina cultivatedmistressina fashionableapartment.Unfortunatelyitis
preciselythislatterattitudeofstylishandaccomplishedamoralitythat
hashistoricallyworkedwellfordiplomats.