In the 20th century the conception and execution of US foreign policy largely became insulated from the American people. How did we get here? And what does it mean for the left?
Great piece and I appreciate that you ended with an open-ended question for us to ponder. I'm not saying I agree with it but I think the Bernie campaign's implicit theory of change for this question is worth considering - essentially I took their theory of change to be that (1) radically reducing the domestic precarity of the US population through an expanded welfare state and (2) radically increasing the solidarity of US workers as a class would create (over time) a mass constituency that would be less reactionary in general, less primed for foreign adventurism, and more likely to see the international working class as sharing their interests rather than domestic elites and billionaires. This sociocultural shift would, in turn, shift the politics of the possible on foreign policy.
Personally I don't buy this theory of change because I think one term of Bernie would've created a massive revanchist wave that would bring someone like Tom Cotton into power. But I'm interested in other's thoughts as well.
Great piece and I appreciate that you ended with an open-ended question for us to ponder. I'm not saying I agree with it but I think the Bernie campaign's implicit theory of change for this question is worth considering - essentially I took their theory of change to be that (1) radically reducing the domestic precarity of the US population through an expanded welfare state and (2) radically increasing the solidarity of US workers as a class would create (over time) a mass constituency that would be less reactionary in general, less primed for foreign adventurism, and more likely to see the international working class as sharing their interests rather than domestic elites and billionaires. This sociocultural shift would, in turn, shift the politics of the possible on foreign policy.
Personally I don't buy this theory of change because I think one term of Bernie would've created a massive revanchist wave that would bring someone like Tom Cotton into power. But I'm interested in other's thoughts as well.