Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World

Lieven and Hulsman, partisan think-tank researchers from opposing ends of the political spectrum, unite to provide an alternative to current U.S. foreign policy, based on ""the core teachings of ethical realism-prudence, patriotism, responsibility, study, humility, and 'a decent respect' to views and interests of other nations."" This ""new strategic vision"" presents a foundation for ""a consensual and stable international order"" along the lines of old-fashioned American neighborliness. Their arguments are rooted in lessons from the founders of ethical realism, Reinhold Niebuhr, Hans Morgenthau and George Kennan; the Christian intellectual tradition of Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine; and successful international policy implemented by leaders like Harry S. Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. The authors emphasize the need to qualify national interests against universal ethics, and for statesman who ""act in ways that will serve the good as far as possible, and to observe certain strict limits as to what they are prepared to do on behalf of their states. ""Though they make some sweeping statements that beg critical examination, and their heavy-handed criticism of the Bush Administration's foreign policy-calling the war in Iraq a failure ""not just of strategy ...but of the whole American way of looking at the world""-can be alienating, this refreshing, ambitious work proposes some practical and much-needed solutions for America's compromised reputation abroad.