Peace, War, and Liberty

Has the United States been a force for liberty around the world? Should it be? And if so, how? To answer these questions, Christopher A. Preble traces the history of U.S. foreign policy from the American Founding to the present, examining the ideas that have animated it, asking whether America's policy choices have made the world safer and freer, and considering the impact of those choices on freedom at home.

Preble explains the need to question the assumptions that drive American foreign policy in the modern era—especially the assumption that American politicians can and should forcibly remake the international order to suit their desires. He asks readers to consider whether America and the world would be safer and freer if U.S. foreign policy incorporated libertarian insights about the limitations of government power.

At once evenhanded and uncompromising, Peace, War, and Liberty is a comprehensive challenge to the interventionist ideology of America's foreign policy establishment.

Christopher Preble is the vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. He is the author of The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous, and Less Free (Cornell University Press, 2009) and John F. Kennedy and the Missile Gap (Northern Illinois University Press, 2004). He coedited, with John Mueller, A Dangerous World? Threat Perception and U.S. National Security (Cato Institute, 2014); and, with Jim Harper and Benjamin Friedman, Terrorizing Ourselves: Why U.S. Counterterrorism Policy Is Failing and How to Fix It (Cato Institute, 2010).

Preble has also published articles in major publications, including the New York Times, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, National Review, The National Interest, and Foreign Policy, and is a frequent guest on television and radio. In addition to his work at Cato, Preble teaches the U.S. foreign policy elective at the University of California, Washington Center.

Preface.....................................................................................................................5

Part I - A Brief History of U.S. Foreign Policy

Introduction: War Is the Health of the State...............................................13
The American Founders, the State, and War..............................................27
The Anti-Imperial Empire...........................................................................41
Imperialists Triumphant?............................................................................53
The World Wars and Their Lessons............................................................71
The Triumph of the Permanent Warfare State............................................89
Post 9/11 - Terrorizing Ourselves.............................................................111

Part II - The Elements of Modern Libertarian Foreign Policy

The Case for Skepticism...........................................................................129
The Problem with American Primacy.......................................................143
Free Riders, Reckless Drivers, and Perilous Partners...............................155
Forcing Freedom.......................................................................................173
The Global Economy................................................................................185
New Rules.................................................................................................195
Promised Land..........................................................................................209

Acknowledgements..............................................................................................219

Bibliography.........................................................................................................221

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

Peace, War, and Liberty

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

Peace, War, and Liberty

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Digital License