Jacob Heilbrunn, Politico
It’s true—the term realpolitik, which is intimately associated with 19th-century authoritarian statesmen such as Klemens von Metternich and Otto von Bismarck, has always carried an unsavory whiff in America. Despite George Washington’s warnings about the dangers of entangling alliances, there were always more than a few of his brethren who wanted the United States to become a crusader nation, carrying on our revolutionary heritage abroad. The isolationists finally made a comeback in the 1930s—only to see the attack on Pearl Harbor and American entry into World War II…
Source: Real Clear Politics