Opposing the Crusader State: Alternatives to Global Interventionism

Broken into four sections, this book illustrates the history of American foreign policy and demonstrates the current applicability of a non-interventionist model. For the past century, U.S. foreign policy has rested on the assumption that Americans’ interests are best served by active intervention abroad to secure markets for U.S. exports, to combat potential enemies far from American shores, or to engage in democratic nation building. Earlier, however, non-interventionism was widely considered more desirable and more consistent with the principles of the American Revolution. The authors argue for a return to these original American mores.

Broken into four sections, this book illustrates the history of American foreign policy and demonstrates the current applicability of a non-interventionist model. For the past century, U.S. foreign policy has rested on the assumption that Americans’ interests are best served by active intervention abroad to secure markets for U.S. exports, to combat potential enemies far from American shores, or to engage in democratic nation building. Earlier, however, non-interventionism was widely considered more desirable and more consistent with the principles of the American Revolution. The authors argue for a return to these original American mores.

Robert Higgs is a senior fellow in political economy for the Independent Institute and an editor of The Independent Review. He has edited numerous scolarly volumes and is the author of several books, including Against Leviathan; Crisis and Leviathan; Depression, War, and Cold War; and Resurgence of the Warfare State. His popular articles have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications, and he has appeared on ABC, CNBC, C-SPAN, NBC, and NPR. Carl P. Close is the academic affairs director for the Independent Institute and an assistant editor of The Independent Review. He is the coeditor of The Challenge of Liberty and Re-Thinking Green and has contributed to The New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.