The Credibility Addiction

The United States can't stop fighting other countries' wars — and its allies are acting like enablers.

Does U.S. credibility matter? If so, how much? Is it more important for other states to have high confidence that the United States will fulfill its overseas commitments, even when doing so might be expensive and not necessarily in America's best interest? Alternatively, is it better if other states have high confidence in America's judgment, i.e., in its ability to analyze emerging international problems and devise effective responses to them.

As anyone who's studied the history of U.S. foreign relations knows, American leaders have been obsessed with credibility ever since World War II....

Continue reading (log in may be required): https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/01/06/the-credibility-addiction-us-iraq-afghanistan-unwinnable-war/