Preventive Engagement: Keeping America Out of War

The United States’ role as the principal guarantor of global peace and security has resulted in commitments—including costly military entanglements—that over time has diminished its capacity to play this vital role. Is the United States faced with a binary choice—accept the costs of this commitment or pull back from the world in the interests of conserving U.S. power but at the cost of greater global instability? Paul B. Stares, the General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and director of the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations, proposes a third way: preventive engagement. Join the World Affairs Council for a conversation with Paul Stares on his blueprint for the United States to work with a variety of international actors to shape the future and reduce potential dangers ahead.