SINCE World War II, thanks to realism as the dominant school of thought in international and strategic studies, prominent strategists have been prioritising the so-called “high” politics over “low” politics. These scholars, whose works influence heads of governments in the bipolar international system, have been directly or indirectly shaping global as well as domestic politics for decades.
According to James J. Wirtz, a renown scholar in strategic studies, high politics are matters pertaining national security that have been considered as “vital”. Examples are nuclear deterrence, arms control, and alliance politics. Through the lenses of utilitarian thinking, these “traditional” threats are considered as matters of the utmost concern by military and political strategists.
