Stewart M. Patrick
President
The president made a solid case that intervention was a moral imperative, justified to prevent a massacre of Libyan civilians that would have "stained the conscience of the world." At the same time, he defined U.S. objectives as limited to "the task of protecting the Libyan people," explicitly disavowing regime change as a U.S. goal, much less the insertion of U.S. combat troops. This unusual combination of armed humanitarianism and military self-restraint will satisfy neither realists -- who complain that the nation has no security stakes in
If the ends of U.S. policy remain controversial, so do the means. Critics have attacked the Obama administration for lashing itself to the mast of multilateralism, thereby limiting its freedom of action and forcing itself to fight a war by committee. The president's speech on Monday provides an effective rejoinder. By securing a
The vision of
This cannot imply standing on the sideline as others run with the ball in
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Available at Amazon.com:
Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America's Wars in the Muslim World
Displacement and Dispossession in the Modern Middle East (The Contemporary Middle East)
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The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between States and Corporations?
Running Out of Water: The Looming Crisis and Solutions to Conserve Our Most Precious Resource
Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water
Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization
At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes
Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century
Dining With al-Qaeda: Three Decades Exploring the Many Worlds of the Middle East
Uprising: Will Emerging Markets Shape or Shake the World Economy
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