Sep 29, 2026 · 20 min
Kagan argues America never stood apart from the world
America, War, and the Myths We Still Believe (#321)
The episode tests whether American power has stabilized global politics or weakened the order it built through repeated intervention.
- 1America has pursued territorial, commercial, and political expansion since before the Revolution, contradicting its isolationist self-image.
- 2American power helped prevent great-power conflict after 1945, but interventions repeatedly produced consequences leaders failed to anticipate.
- 3Recent U.S. weakness has damaged allied trust, eroded the liberal order, and created openings for China and Russia.
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Kagan rejects the distinction between wars of necessity and wars of choice, arguing that Americans must own the consequences of using force.
The brief
Historian Robert Kagan opens by rejecting the idea that America traditionally minded its own business, tracing expansionist behavior across territorial, commercial, and political life.
Kagan argues that the United States often enters conflicts believing it can solve a problem and leave, while underestimating consequences from Europe to the Gulf and Japan.
The case for American power is mixed: it helped prevent great-power war after 1945 and supported major successes, yet intervention failures repeatedly fueled disillusionment.
The conversation turns to the liberal order’s erosion, as damaged U.S. credibility and broken allied trust give China and Russia more room to shape events.
Kagan’s closing challenge is to abandon the comforting split between necessary and chosen wars and accept responsibility for decisions to use force.
Featuring
Dangerous Nation
The Ghost at the Feast
Xi Jinping
United StatesBooks & mentions
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