The Case for Offshore Balancing

By: John J. Mearsheimer, Stephen M. Walt

Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell

For the first time in recent memory, large numbers of Americans are openly questioning their country’s grand strategy. An April 2016 Pew poll found that 57 percent of Americans agree that the United States should “deal with its own problems and let others deal with theirs the best they can.” On the campaign trail, both the Democrat Bernie Sanders and the Republican Donald Trump found receptive audiences whenever they questioned the United States’ penchant for promoting democracy, subsidizing allies’ defense, and intervening militarily - leaving only the likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to defend the status quo.

"The Case for Offshore Balancing" is from the July/August 2016 issue of Foreign Affairs.

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