Book Talk: Why Can’t America Retrench?
Every winning American presidential candidate since 2008 has campaigned to one degree or another against foreign military expeditions in favor of doing more “nation-building at home.” Barack Obama opposed the Iraq War. Donald Trump agreed, and he added the pledge to end the war in Afghanistan. Joe Biden co-opted much of Trump’s campaign rhetoric, pledging to end “forever wars” and provide a “foreign policy for the middle class.” But once in office, each of these presidencies faced formidable obstacles to achieving these goals. What explains this pattern?
In his new book, Why Can’t America Retrench? (And How It Might), Peter Harris, associate professor of political science at Colorado State University and a non-resident fellow at Defense Priorities, delves into the entrenched domestic interests that stand in the way of restraint in American foreign policy. George Beebe, director of the Grand Strategy program at the Quincy Institute, will discuss the book with the author.
The conversation will take place on Tuesday, November 12th from 12:00 – 1:00 PM Eastern Time.
Panelists
Peter Harris
Peter Harris is a non-resident fellow at Defense Priorities and an associate professor of political science at Colorado State University. Harris’ teaching and research focuses on international security and U.S. foreign policy. He received his PhD in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was also a graduate fellow of the Clements Center for National Security. His work has appeared in journals including Asian Security, Chinese Journal of International Politics, International Affairs, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, and Political Science Quarterly.
George Beebe
George Beebe is director of grand strategy at the Quincy Institute. He spent more than two decades in government as an intelligence analyst, diplomat, and policy advisor, including as director of the CIA’s Russia analysis, director of the CIA’s Open Source Center, and as a staff advisor on Russia matters to Vice President Cheney. His book, The Russia Trap: How Our Shadow War with Russia Could Spiral into Nuclear Catastrophe (St. Martin’s Press, 2019), warned how the United States and Russia could stumble into a dangerous military confrontation.