raison d'état, n.All

Raison d'état (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠Caiaphas's maxim — better one man die than the nation perish — sound politics that unwittingly states the founding law of every culture.