Something everybody should read, but no one will heed
America’s Hollow Foreign-Policy Debate

How did it all come to this? How can we be so paralyzed intellectually and militarily? Naturally, partisans have made up their minds and their answers are as predictable as they are unimaginative.
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I propose the following—more out of optimism than realism—as a kind of pact among Americans of all political persuasions to follow as guidelines for a more honest and less angry debate about foreign policy and the use of force. All of them amount to a plea for consistency over partisanship, but there are some specific areas to consider.

First, stop abusing the words “national interest.”

Those words do not have scientific meaning. They are terms of art, political expressions of a coherent view of what is best for our country. They are not words that have a meaning independent of the person using them. If you truly believe that the national interest only extends as far as America’s shores (or to the boundaries of our close allies), then be willing to think through—and to live with—the implications of your view. If you have a more expansive conception of interest that includes our values as something worth fighting for, then be willing to acknowledge the costs you’re proposing. In any case, the term “national interest” should be the start of a conversation, not the end of one.