Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Eugene Gholz is a co-author of the article “Restraining Order for Strategic Modesty” published in the journal World Affairs. In this paper, Gholz argues that the U.S. should adopt a grand strategy that involves scaling back international security interventions and instead focusing on domestic issues in order to ensure a strong national security and preserve resources for dealing with future threats.
Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar Eugene Gholz is a co-author of the article “Restraining Order for Strategic Modesty” published in the journal World Affairs. In this paper, Gholz argues that the U.S. should adopt a grand strategy that involves scaling back international security interventions and instead focusing on domestic issues in order to ensure a strong national security and preserve resources for dealing with future threats. The international community often encourages U.S. intervention in conflict areas despite complaints about U.S. foreign policy, but the authors of this article argue that the U.S. should pursue a grand strategy that utilizes the geography of the U.S. and that allows other states to shoulder the responsibility for their own security. The authors argue that the U.S. does not have the resources to share in the provision of security to other states, and the U.S. does not need to take on the role of “global police force.”
Gholz, along with his co-authors, calls on the U.S. to practice restraint in its foreign policy. The authors outline several conditions for forming alliances under a strategy of restraint. They address how the U.S. could continue to function in the global economy with this strategy, and they offer guidelines to shape counterterrorism policy. The authors note that implementing a strategy of restraint presents several challenges, but overcoming these obstacles will ultimately preserve U.S. security and wealth.
