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Political opportunism refers to the practice of taking advantage of every situation to maintain political support or influence, [1] [2] often disregarding relevant ethical or political principles. [3]
Political opportunism is interpreted in different ways, but usually refers to one or more of the following:
Political opportunism is not only defined by its goals but also by the strategies and behaviors employed to achieve them. Common tactics include:
While these strategies may lead to success, whether in the short term or as part of a broader plan, they often raise ethical questions about the abandonment of principles and the distinction between opportunism and necessary compromise.
Political opportunism is often criticized for prioritizing expediency over principles. Whether in the pursuit of immediate gains or through compromise, principles serve as the benchmark for distinguishing legitimate behavior from opportunism.
Opportunistic political behavior is frequently criticized as shortsighted or narrow-minded. [9] The drive to secure or maintain political gains can lead to decisions that prioritize pragmatism at the expense of principles. Such actions often provoke public disillusionment and calls for a return to core values. [10]
Ambiguity in political situations frequently provides fertile ground for opportunism. When circumstances lack precedent or consensus, it can be difficult to determine whether an action is adaptive or opportunistic. [11] Politicians may defend such decisions as necessary or aligned with broader goals, even as critics label them opportunistic. Milton Friedman highlighted this tension by remarking, "One man's opportunism is another man's statesmanship". [12]
In some cases, political figures defer judgment of their controversial decisions by claiming that "history will prove me right." This argument has been used to justify actions ranging from significant policy shifts to military interventions. [13]
Compromise is a cornerstone of politics, yet it must be managed to ensure it does not undermine principles. John F. Kennedy emphasized this balance, stating: "We can resolve the clash of interests without conceding our ideals… Compromise need not mean cowardice." [14]
However, compromises that dilute or abandon principles risk being labeled opportunistic. For instance, some political leaders have been accused of shifting their positions drastically for the sake of expediency, leading to accusations of opportunism rather than pragmatism. [15]
Rigid adherence to principles can lead to sectarianism or factionalism, while excessive flexibility risks undermining their role as meaningful guides to action. Political compromises must strike a balance between adapting to changing circumstances and upholding ethical boundaries. [16] [15]
The interpretation of principles often sparks disputes. The same action may be justified using different principles, or interpretations may vary about how a principle should be applied. [17] Consistent adherence to principles helps distinguish legitimate compromises from opportunistic behavior and fosters trust in political decision-making.
Political integrity involves maintaining a balance between principled positions and the flexibility needed to respond to changing circumstances. Leaders are expected to navigate complex situations while staying true to their ethical commitments. This balance defines effective leadership, as it allows decisions to be guided by values rather than opportunism.
However, this balance can be difficult to maintain in practice. Saul Alinsky, in Rules for Radicals , observed that political organizations often act on contradictory motives, where decisions intended to serve the common good may also be influenced by self-interest. He suggested that laws are often written with lofty goals in mind but are implemented in ways that reflect underlying greed or practical considerations. [18] [19] This tension between ideals and pragmatism highlights the challenges of maintaining transparency in politics. When politicians withhold key information for strategic reasons, public trust may erode as citizens speculate about hidden motives. [18]
The claim that "there is no such thing as an honest politician" underscores the difficulty of fully disclosing the complexities of decision-making. Politicians often provide partial truths to advance specific goals, which may create skepticism about their intentions. Nonetheless, entering politics does not necessarily preclude acting with integrity. Many leaders begin their careers with the intent to serve the public good but face pressures that force them to compromise or adapt. Over time, the role of political office may shift from being a means to achieve higher goals to an end in itself, shaping their decisions around maintaining power rather than advancing ideals. [20]
As John Keegan observed, the greater threat to political integrity often lies not with the leaders themselves but with those around them who exploit political systems for personal gain. These individuals may undermine trust by creating factions, manipulating processes, or prioritizing their own interests above the common good. [20] Assessing whether an action is opportunistic depends on understanding the context and motivations behind it. Actions aligned with ethical principles and showing consistency between means and ends are typically seen as legitimate. In contrast, actions motivated primarily by personal or factional interests are more likely to be judged as opportunistic. However, these judgments are subjective and can be shaped by political biases, emotional reactions, or limited information. [21]
Ultimately, balancing principles and pragmatism is essential for maintaining public trust. While political leaders must adapt to changing circumstances, adherence to consistent ethical commitments reassures the public that decisions are being made for the common good rather than for short-term political gain.
Political opportunism disrupts coherent strategies by prioritizing short-term gains over principled action. Tactics such as exploiting crises for electoral advantage, shifting positions to suit public sentiment, or distorting facts obscure long-term goals. This creates confusion about which strategies are effective, blurs the distinction between success and failure, and leads to the repetition of past mistakes. For instance, research on political opportunism during economic crises reveals that leaders often delay necessary but unpopular measures to secure voter approval, causing long-term harm to economic stability. [22] [23]
Moreover, opportunism erodes public trust. As leaders abandon consistency or manipulate information to suit immediate needs, voters grow cynical, perceiving decisions as arbitrary or self-serving rather than accountable. These behaviors also deepen societal divisions, with polarizing rhetoric and disinformation used to manipulate perceptions and maintain power. While effective in the short term, such tactics undermine social cohesion and stall progress on critical challenges like climate change and economic inequality. [23]
Ultimately, reliance on opportunistic tactics reduces politics to reactive pragmatism, focused on preserving the status quo rather than addressing systemic issues or advancing collective goals. This not only stifles innovation but also weakens the ability to mobilize public support for meaningful change. [23]
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise The Prince, written around 1513 but not published until 1532, five years after his death. He has often been called the father of modern political philosophy and political science.
Prudence is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of the four cardinal virtues. Prudentia is an allegorical female personification of the virtue, whose attributes are a mirror and snake, and who is frequently depicted as a pair with Justitia, the Roman goddess of Justice.
Realpolitik is the approach of conducting diplomatic or political policies based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than strictly following ideological, moral, or ethical premises. In this respect, it shares aspects of its philosophical approach with those of realism and pragmatism.
The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise written by the Italian diplomat, philosopher, and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli in the form of a realistic instruction guide for new princes. As a remarkable general theme, The Prince appears to take it for granted that immoral acts are justified if they can help achieve political glory.
Saul David Alinsky was an American community activist and political theorist. His work through the Chicago-based Industrial Areas Foundation helping poor communities organize to press demands upon landlords, politicians, bankers and business leaders won him national recognition and notoriety. Responding to the impatience of a New Left generation of activists in the 1960s, Alinsky – in his widely cited Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer (1971) – defended the arts both of confrontation and of compromise involved in community organizing as keys to the struggle for social justice.
In politics, a regime is a system of government that determines access to public office, and the extent of power held by officials. The two broad categories of regimes are democratic and autocratic. A key similarity across all regimes is the presence of rulers of both formal and informal institutions, which interact dynamically to adapt to changes to their environment The CIA website also has a complete list of every country in the world with their respective types of regimes.
Grand strategy or high strategy is a state's strategy of how means can be used to advance and achieve national interests in the long-term. Issues of grand strategy typically include the choice of military doctrine, force structure and alliances, as well as economic relations, diplomatic behavior, and methods to extract or mobilize resources.
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest.
Principles of war are rules and guidelines that represent truths in the practice of war and military operations.
Opportunism is the practice of taking advantage of circumstances — with little regard for principles or with what the consequences are for others. Opportunist actions are expedient actions guided primarily by self-interested motives. The term can be applied to individual humans and living organisms, groups, organizations, styles, behaviors and trends.
Machiavellianism is widely defined as the political philosophy of the Italian Renaissance diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli, usually associated with realism in foreign and domestic politics, and with the view that those who lead governments must prioritize the stability of the regime over ethical concerns. There is no scholarly consensus as to the precise nature of Machiavelli's philosophy, or what his intentions were with his works. The word Machiavellianism first appeared in the English language in 1607, due to Machiavelli's popularity, often as a byword for unsavory government politics.
Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals is a 1971 book by American community activist and writer Saul D. Alinsky about how to successfully run a movement for change. It was the last book written by Alinsky, and it was published shortly before his death in 1972. His goal was to create a guide for future community organizers, to use in uniting low-income communities, or "Have-Nots", in order for them to gain by any effective, non-violent means social, political, legal, environmental and economic wealth and power. Inside of it, Alinsky compiled the lessons he had learned throughout his experiences of community organizing from 1939 to 1971. He targeted these lessons at the current, new generation of radicals.
Niccolò Machiavelli started working for the chancery of the Republic of Florence at the age of 29, traveling on diplomatic missions around Europe. In the 14 years he served the chancery, he met great statesmen and politicians, including Louis XII, Emperor Maximilian and Cesare Borgia, and gained great insight into the political workings of Europe. He gave Florentine generals successful military advice concerning tactics and organizing infantry forces. He even established a Florentine militia. When the Medici came back into power in 1512, Machiavelli was arrested, tortured and exiled from Florence.
Ethics in the public sector is a broad topic that is usually considered a branch of political ethics. In the public sector, ethics addresses the fundamental premise of a public administrator's duty as a "steward" to the public. In other words, it is the moral justification and consideration for decisions and actions made during the completion of daily duties when working to provide the general services of government and nonprofit organizations. Ethics is defined as, among others, the entirety of rules of proper moral conduct corresponding to the ideology of a particular society or organization (Eduard). Public sector ethics is a broad topic because values and morals vary between cultures. Despite the differences in ethical values, there is a growing common ground of what is considered good conduct and correct conduct with ethics. Ethics are an accountability standard by which the public will scrutinize the work being conducted by the members of these organizations. The question of ethics emerges in the public sector on account of its subordinate character.
Political ethics is the practice of making moral judgments about political action and political agents. It covers two areas: the ethics of process, which covers public officials and their methods, and the ethics of policy, which concerns judgments surrounding policies and laws.
Intellectual opportunism is the pursuit of intellectual opportunities with a selfish, ulterior motive not consistent with relevant principles. The term refers to certain self-serving tendencies of the human intellect, often involving professional producers and disseminators of ideas, who work with idea-formation all the time.
Economic opportunism is a term related to the subversion of morality to profit. There exists no agreed general, scientific definition or theory of economic opportunism; the literature usually considers only specific cases and contexts.
Spiritual opportunism refers to the exploitation of spiritual ideas : for personal gain, partisan interests or selfish motives. Usually the implication is that doing so is unprincipled in some way, although it may cause no harm and involve no abuse. In other words, religion becomes a means to achieve something that is alien to it, or things are projected into religion that do not belong there.
The Omoluwabi or Omoluabi is a set of cultural principles that's native to the Yoruba people, embodying the essence of civilized behavior and virtue attribute towards every aspect of life. This timeless philosophy is deeply rooted in Yoruba tradition and serves as a guiding principle for the Yoruba People to strive for excellence in their personal and communal lives. Omoluwabi demonstrates and exhibits the inherent virtue and value of Iwapele which signifies a set of values such as integrity, respect, self-control, humility, humanity, empathy, responsibility, courage, perseverance, knowledge, education and hard work, which collectively define a person of good moral character. As a guiding principle, Omoluwabi has the power to inspire individuals to become active participants in their communities, cultivating a culture of inclusivity, empathy, and collective growth. As we navigate the complexities of modern life, the timeless wisdom of Omoluwabi serves as a beacon, reminding us of the importance of living a life of purpose, integrity, and character.
Transcendent Leadership is a modern leadership philosophy that emphasizes holistic development, inclusivity, and ethical practices within organizations. Unlike traditional leadership models, which often prioritize hierarchical authority and top-down control, transcendent leadership advocates for empowering individuals at all levels, fostering collaboration, and aligning organizational goals with social and environmental val-ues. This approach has gained prominence in response to complex contemporary challenges, such as digital transformation and shifting workforce expectations, as leaders recognize that innovative solutions often arise from diverse perspectives and collective effort.
Political opportunism is broadly defined throughout the paper as the policymaker's choice of a particular policy taking into account the timing of elections.