The Militarization of U.S. Foreign Policy

This article draws from the annual lecture in “U.S. Security in the 21st Century Series,” sponsored by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy; it was delivered by the author on September 27, 2012, in New York City. It explores the U.S. military's role in the making of American foreign policy by examining the degree of influence, identifying reasons why policy formulation may be imbalanced, and speculating on possible long-term consequences of excessive reliance on military power. Central to the arguments presented is the erosion of appropriate levels of executive, congressional, and media oversight of the American armed forces.