Bret Stephens longs for the days when America was willing to serve as the world’s policeman. Without the cop on the beat busting petty criminals, he fears, the world is going to become a more dangerous and messy place—Gotham City without Batman. Is he right?
Here are my thoughts:
- There was a brief time after the end of the Cold War when we could afford to act as the world’s policeman.
- In Iraq, we were more arsonist than cop. The analogy only works if the policeman knows what he’s doing.
- With the rise of China, the opportunity to enforce the rules on our own has vanished.
- We no longer have the preponderance of resources necessary to serve as a cop. The focus of our foreign policy has to be on our self-interest, in collaboration with allies whenever possible.
- Most of the events cited by Stephens would have happened even in the brief golden age of American dominance. Under no circumstances were we ever going to war over Crimea or Hong Kong. The threat would not have been credible.
- Yes, the world may become a messier place. We have to learn to live with that. It is a natural condition. It was the golden age that was the aberration.