Condoleezza Rice has written an opinion piece for the Daily Telegraph of London and one should always take time to read what is in the mind of this director of the US National Security Council:

There is an old argument between the so-called "realistic" school of foreign affairs and the "idealistic" school. To oversimplify, realists play down the importance of values while emphasising the balance of power as the key to stability and peace. Idealists emphasise the primacy of values and the character of societies as crucial to a state's behaviour toward other nations.

While this may make for interesting academic debate, in real life, power and values are inextricably linked. Great powers can influence millions of lives and change history. And the values of great powers matter. If the Soviet Union had won the Cold War, the world would be a very different place today.

All of our decisions are affected by our values. The more powerful one becomes the more important it becomes to make sure that one is choosing and pursuing one's values wisely.