It ought not be the role of the American military to try to shape the future of other countries. The power of our military’s global reach has been an indispensable contributor to peace and stability in many regions and must remain so. But not every outrage, every act of aggression, every oppression, or every crisis can or should elicit an American military response. We must be realists about the limits of our military to bring about enduring reform and determine the political future of others. That said, our ideology is fundamental to America’s role in the world, keeping alive the belief among
...more
