Talking 'Bout My Generation
Working off the generational theories of historians Neil Howe and William Strauss (their excellent book Generations:The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 is a must read) and quoting from their books 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail? and The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy (both of which I also highly recommend) Porphyrogenitus looks at foreign policy from the practical, realistic viewpoint of the 13th generation (a.k.a. Gen X):
Putting a priority on obeying institutions and procedures doesn't make sense if the institutions are dysfunctional in coping with grave dangers. If the UN has become the Society For the Preservation of Third-World Dictatorships and French Commercial Interests, then getting its stamp of approval may not be valuable. Wilsonian processes that are twisted by people so that Making the World Safe for Dictatorship is the outcome, dittoes. "Peace Processes" that hamstring the ability of people to be safe from attack by people with bombs boarding school buses are an obstacle to peace, not a guarantor of it. It's our job to make clear distinctions - and to make simple things work again.
You might describe it (and Porphyrogenitus alludes to it in his piece) as the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) school of foreign policy.
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