Republic, Not Empire

"The U.S. traditionally pursued a foreign policy and maintained a force structure appropriate for a republic," reminds Doug Bandow, suggesting that "America's business should be defense, not offense," and that "at a time of economic crisis and budget stringency, the U.S. should bring its military establishment into alignment with its defense needs" — How Many Enemies, How Much Military Spending?

Robert D. Stacey reviews a book that provides "a rousing dose of profound, genuine conservative insight" and "a refreshingly unashamed conservative critique of twentieth-century U.S. foreign policy, especially with regard to war and the use of force" — War, Ideas, and the New Conservative Dilemma. The book's author "identifies three specific schools of thought which he maintains have misled American foreign policy since the presidency of Woodrow Wilson," suggesting that "'our statesmen'—consumed by Liberal Internationalism, Neoconservatism, and Realism—have steered the American ship of state away from its traditional, commonsensical course."