The Case for Restraint: Drawing the Curtain on American Empire

The United States should resist imperial temptations and instead pursue a foreign policy of restraint.
August 26, 2019

- Blog Post
- Blog posts represent the views of CFR fellows and staff and not those of CFR, which takes no institutional positions.
In my weekly column for World Politics Review, I discuss a new book by three scholars from the Cato Institute and review the arguments in favor of a more restrained U.S. foreign policy.
In a provocative new book, three scholars from the libertarian Cato Institute—John Glaser, Christopher A. Preble and A. Trevor Thrall—counsel the United States to abandon the pursuit of global primacy for a policy of prudence and restraint. “Fuel to the Fire: How Trump Made America’s Foreign Policy Even Worse (and How We Can Do Better)” is a scalding indictment not only of the 45th U.S. president, but also of a morally bankrupt national security establishment whose addiction to empire has embroiled the nation in misbegotten military misadventures.
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Read the full World Politics Review article here.
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