From an acclaimed conservative historian and
former military officer, a bracing call for a pragmatic
confrontation with the nation's problems
The
Limits of Power identifies a profound triple crisis
facing America: the economy, in remarkable disarray, can no
longer be fixed by relying on expansion abroad; the
government, transformed by an imperial presidency, is a
democracy in form only; U.S. involvement in endless wars,
driven by a deep infatuation with military power, has been a
catastrophe for the body politic. These pressing problems
threaten all of us, Republicans and Democrats. If the nation
is to solve its predicament, it will need the revival of a
distinctly American approach: the neglected tradition of
realism.
Andrew J. Bacevich, uniquely respected across
the political spectrum, offers a historical perspective on
the illusions that have governed American policy since 1945.
The realism he proposes includes respect for power and its
limits; sensitivity to unintended consequences; aversion to
claims of exceptionalism; skepticism of easy solutions,
especially those involving force; and a conviction that the
books will have to balance. Only a return to such
principles, Bacevich argues, can provide common ground for
fixing America’s urgent problems before the damage becomes
irreparable.