A Republic, Not an Empire

Summary

Buchanan critiques foreign policy commitments by the United States and holds that should be in keeping with foreign policy encapsulated in George Washington's Farewell Address, in that America's chief business lay on the American continent. He likens America's overseas involvement to those of past empires—and predicts a similar decline without a change in course. Buchanan writes, "Present U.S. foreign policy, which commits America to go to war for scores of nations in regions where we have never fought before, is unsustainable. As we pile commitment upon commitment in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf, American power continues to contract--a sure formula for foreign policy disaster."