>in international relations all you have is reality. This is transparently false. International relations are deeply driven by both popular and elite opinion,

>in international relations all you have is reality. This is transparently false. International relations are deeply driven by both popular and elite opinion, which is why national agents constantly work closely with media to justify their narratives. If the narratives fail to sway the opinion of key actors (whether individuals or populations) there can be severe consequences if the policies are followed anyway. That’s why we have lots of small states around the globe - even though it would be a profitable action to colonize those states in theory, in practice limitations on both elite and popular opinion prevent these activities.