While international affairs are often reduced to contests of strength and strategic interests, anthropologist Scott Atran's recent Quillette contribution challenges this assumption, arguing that moral culture and shared values are the true foundations of lasting global influence.
Drawing on pivotal moments in history—from the Treaty of Westphalia that ended the Thirty Years' War to the balance struck after World War II—Atran demonstrates that international order rarely arises from force alone. Instead, legitimacy, mutual respect, and the collective memory of catastrophe guide nations towards lasting stability.
Atran critiques mainstream realist theories that treat power as purely material and competitive, observing that such frameworks overlook the psychological and cultural factors intrinsic to political allegiance.
"Authority perceived as legitimate is more likely to be accepted; authority perceived as coercive or degrading is more likely to provoke resistance," he writes. Shared values define what is considered legitimate and acceptable, shaping whether influence is experienced as leadership or domination, cooperation or coercion.
In today's era of US-China rivalry, he warns that dominance without ethical legitimacy corrodes collaboration and increases the risk of conflict. Atran urges policymakers to recognize that durable coalitions require more than strategic balancing—they demand the cultivation of moral culture that binds diverse actors together.
Read Atran's article "Power beyond realpolitik" in Quillette.
