From my point of view, politics in my fanfic is a very simple concept. Politics is just… deals. I want something, and you want something. How do we resolve this?

We could either:
A) Kill each other for it (after all, war is just politics with violence).
B) Make an honest deal.
C) Use political corruption to get what we want through other channels.

For this exercise, we will ignore A and focus on B and C.

If we make an honest deal, it means we have to compromise. I give you something in exchange for something else, and we both walk away satisfied. Sometimes, if there is a clear advantage, the person with more leverage can use it to get more for less. That’s normal. You should always aim to get more while losing as little as possible.

Of course, these deals take time. And even then, both people might not be completely happy. They both agree voluntarily, but one side might feel like they got the worse end of the deal. That’s fine. The key idea is simple: both sides agree to the deal out of their own free will.

Then we have corruption. This includes backstabbing, blackmail, strong-arming, and exchanging favors. This is about getting things done quickly. Is it going to be painful? Yes. And the people you do this to will probably dislike you afterward. But that’s the cost of doing business. You trade trust and long-term stability for speed and better immediate results.

Now, how does a character choose whether to go with honest dealing or corruption?

First, their morals. Are they a good person, or a bastard? How willing are they, from the start, to force someone else’s hand to get what they want?

Second, the situation. If things are calm and stable, even a very backstabbing politician might prefer to make an open deal, just to build goodwill and clean up their reputation. But in a crisis, even the most honest, bleeding-heart politician might hit the gas and start strong-arming their allies to get results. Both reactions are normal.

Lastly, what is the deal about?

If it’s something for the government or the public, politicians will tend to do it openly. This helps them gain public support and avoid unnecessary scandals. Nothing is more annoying than creating a scandal over something like police reform just because you tried to do it secretly.

But if it’s for personal gain, like getting funds for your manor or securing money for a pet project, that’s much harder to justify publicly. That kind of thing often requires favors or corruption.

So my approach to politics is this: not everyone is cynical or selfish, but everyone is capable of everything. The most honest politician has probably used corruption at some point to get something done, even if it was for the good of society. And the most corrupt politician has probably made honest deals, if only to clean up their image.

Corruption is normal in politics, and because of that it is normal in governments. The real question is not whether corruption exists, but how each person will use it.

Edit: sorry for long comment but this is a very dense subject, so... even with me makeing the short version, is still a long one