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America doesn’t need a bigger army. It needs a smaller — that is, more modest — foreign policy, one that assigns soldiers missions that are consistent with their capabilities. Modesty implies giving up on the illusions of grandeur to which the end of the Cold War and then 9/11 gave rise. It also means reining in the imperial presidents who expect the army to make good on these illusions. When it comes to supporting the troops, here lies the essence of a citizen’s obligation.
from The Limits of Power by Andrew Bacevich
I used this quote today on Global Pedestrian, my foreign-policy blog for Big Think. The post is called “Counterinsurgency (First in an Infinite List of Things I Might Be Wrong About).”
Today’s other Global Pedestrian posts are:
• “A Foreword to the Future in Afghanistan?” about how Richard Holbrooke’s reminiscences about his duties in Vietnam might hint at next steps for U.S. AfPak policy.
• “Are Mormons America’s Leading Export of Global Pedestrians?”
