1. The Wisdom of Retrenchment: America Must Cut Back to Move Forward
- Author:
- Paul K. MacDonald and Joseph M. Parent
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Foreign Affairs
- Institution:
- Council on Foreign Relations
- Abstract:
- The United States can no longer afford a world-spanning foreign policy. Retrenchment -- cutting military spending, redefining foreign priorities, and shifting more of the defense burden to allies -- is the only sensible course. Luckily, that does not have to spell instability abroad. History shows that pausing to recharge national batteries can renew a dominant power's international legitimacy.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, NATO, and Cold War
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, Iraq, and Washington