Don't Count on U.S. Military Restraint

It is amusing to hear U.S. politicians of all ideological stripes sounding like classic libertarians as they proclaim that, in these times of fiscal austerity, the United Statesshould no longer act as the "world's policeman" and that other countries should be contributing "their fair share" to global security. Nevertheless, the many studies undertaken by the fellows of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, detailing how the United States can shift to becoming an "offshore balancer," thereby reducing its footprint around the world, and how our European and East Asian allies can afford to do more in the service of their own defense, continue to gather dust on the shelves, with no sign that either the Congress or the executive branch is really interested in implementing them.