The practice of political manipulation

Otto von Bismarck is widely credited with keeping Germany on a course for peace from 1871 to 1890 by being a "brilliant diplomatic tactician" who outmaneuvered powerful domestic and international opposition to implement his preferred policies. Many historians believe that Jean Monnet pushed European integration towards his preferred path through the strategic use of rhetoric without ever even holding elective office. Stories abound in which savvy politicians or activists strategically engineer a situation to their own advantage; leaving their less accomplished opponents to lick their wounds. It should not be contentious to suggest that the ability of leaders to skillfully manipulate their environments matters for the outcomes we care about in international politics. It is much trickier to systematically study such political manipulation, coined "heresthetics" by William Riker. As Riker writes:

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