Evil in a Realist World View

"Evil does exist in the world." In the obsessive analytical dissection of President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech last week, this line earned the praise of many, who applaud the recognition of the need to confront the perpetrators of crimes against humanity, as well as the skepticism of others, who see the use of a term with vague connotations of the supernatural as problematic for defining the nuances of a realist foreign policy.

Missing from this discussion, of course, is the likelihood that the line was included for its rhetorical resonance, rather than its political meaning. But we will set that aside for the time being as well.

The word "evil" does, indeed, invoke images of the Satanic for many people -- of a disembodied force that exists apart from humanity, that comes from somewhere outside the orderly world in which we live. For those immersed in the world of violence, war, and genocide, however, evil has a very human face; evil is a quintessentially human phenomenon, not one that possesses people, but is inherent in the choices made by those who seek the destruction of others for their own selfish ends. Evil is not a disruption or an exception, but is quite commonplace, quite banal.

To incorporate an idea of evil into a doctrine of foreign policy, then, is not to dilute nuance with a moralistic branding, but is to confront the reality of the world we live in: Humans have the ability to wreck incredible destruction on one another, and our propensity to do so is not going to change. What can change, however, is how the world seeks to contain such impulses.

To identify another as "evil" may imply a self-perception of "good," and black-and-white dichotomies rarely sit well in our complicated world. But when speaking of genocide, I have little problem with naming the act as "evil" and an attempt to stop it as "good." To designate an act as evil does not necessarily imply ascension to moral righteousness, but serves to identify an extreme behavior deemed unacceptable by the human community.

When used carefully, ideas of evil are thus not out of sync with a realist foreign policy, though when used recklessly, evil can lead us gallivanting into foolish wars. If the line in Obama's speech was anything more than a rhetorical device, I hope it is an indication of a world view that seeks an effective response to a very human condition.

[Photo by Adrian van Leen: A cell at Cambodia's infamous Tuol Sleng prison.]