How to Match Ends and Means in the Middle East

For years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States enjoyed superpower status in a unipolar world. Its economy roared, and its military power went unmatched. When it came to pursuing its goals, Washington had to contend with few obstacles. But even during these boom times, American leaders sometimes botched foreign policy. The United States often made mistakes that caused it to punch below its weight internationally. Many wondered, for instance, how the United States could be powerful enough to win the Cold War yet fail to accomplish its mission in places such as Somalia just a few years later. Since then, the world has changed dramatically, and the American people have changed too. If President Trump is going to be successful, he will have to internalize this truth. American history is full of foreign policies that failed because presidents could not or would not marshal enough resources to achieve the objectives they set for themselves...

Read the full article on the Foreign Affairs website.