The Foreign Policy of Self-Interest: A Moral Ideal for America

A very rational, indisputable outlook on American foreign policy, with a philosophical approach that is based on reason and rational self-interest. Our founding fathers would have been proud of this book--and it would behoove this country to read Schwartz's words.

The global terrorist network that endangers the civilized world has been threatening for decades. However, it is we ourselves, not the terrorists, that pose the greatest threat to our future security. The contradictory policies, lack of principles and shortsightedness of our leaders is aiding and abetting the terrorists in ways they could have never dreamed of. Worse still, their repeated statements demonstrate that they recognize our absence of principles, moral confidence and determination and perceive it as our greatest weakness and their chance for victory. In his book, A Foreign Policy of Self-Interest: A Moral Ideal For America, Peter Schwartz identifies the current self-sacrificing trends of American foreign policy and presents an appeal for the adoption of a new kind of foreign policy; the unmitigated pursuit of rational self-interest. In this work, Schwartz challenges the conventional wisdom with an uncompromising and ruthlessly candid assessment of the current state of US foreign policy. Insisting that the only moral purpose of government is the defense of individual liberty, he logically deduces that likewise, the only end of a moral foreign policy is the defense of a nation's freedom, and he contends that the only doctrine that can ensure the preservation of America's freedom is the steadfast dedication to the pursuit of self-interest on the international stage. However, this book is not a call for America to intervene in any and every conflict in the world, to send troops anywhere we please to achieve any objective we conceive, or even to hasten the democratization of the third world. It is an urgent appeal for American leaders to discontinue the shamefully self-defeating practices currently perpetrated in the guise of diplomacy. It is a combination of potency and temperance, best exemplified in Teddy Roosevelt's words of wisdom, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." It is a plea for the end of self-sacrifice, self-doubt and insecurity in international relations. In the Iraq war, for instance, instead of admitting with moral confidence that we sought to overthrow Saddam Hussein for the protection of Americans, we pretended that the altruistic liberation of the Iraqi people was the chief motive behind the invasion. We wasted valuable time before the war placating the United Nations, pleading for a moral sanction from an organization consisting of dictators and theocrats. We enacted dangerously constraining rules of engagement over our troops on the battlefield, all in the hope that world opinion would turn favorable for us. The terrorist threat against Western civilization continues to grow, and can not be defeated with half-measures, compromises or diplomacy. America has nothing to gain by negotiating with dictators and international villains. As Schwartz observes in negotiations with North Korea, "We are offering the North Koreans something that is ours- our wealth; in return, they are offering us something that is also ours

Although fairly short, this book does a remarkable job of documenting the disastrous path to self-destruction that the US is pursuing, it identifies the underlying causes and motivation for this policy, and it proposes an alternative. Quite a feat given the size. What this Book Covers * The nature and purpose of foreign policy * Moral basis of current and past policy * The moral foundations of a practical policy * Why Pragmatism is impractical * All illustrated with specific examples This book is a well-written and clearly and forcefully argued. But even if you disagree with Schwartz's analysis, you'll will come away with a deeper and clearer understanding of how morality drives policy, in principle and in day to day events. You'll also gain a vivid insight into just how shockingly suicidal our current policy is, how it undermines our security and actually strengthens and emboldens terrorist-sponsoring states. Be prepared to be depressed, things are worse than you think.

Peter Schwartz as usual provides an excellent and clear analysis of the subject at hand. I frequently found that he was able to put his finger on exactly the position or error I had been thinking about when my own idea of the same thing was a little fuzzy. Hightly recommended, even for those who disagree.