EP 937 America’s Aggressive Posture on the World Stage is a Feature Not a Bug

 Our guest took on a sweeping assignment in his new book “To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution.” But Michael O’Hanlon, of the Brookings Institution, and the author of this ambitious work came away convinced that there has been a steadier strategic theme throughout our history than he had earlier imagined.  Whether in Democratic or Republican Administrations, America has been no shrinking violet when it comes to exercising our military capabilities.  On balance, with the acknowledgement that we’ve made numerous mistakes, it’s been as a force of good in the world.  And while superpowers throughout history have generally found other nations working to balance their powers and end up isolated in the world, America has had an uncanny ability to build international alliances.  This has been a unique feature of the American approach.  Will it continue under Donald Trump or will we shift from grand lofty principles, like human rights and the flowering of democracies, to a more self-promotional foreign policy?  And where will that lead.  That’s the subject of today’s podcast.

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