Foreign Policy Trade-Offs in an Age of Austerity

The federal deficit, the national debt, and the looming increase in entitlement spending for retiring baby boomers are causing U.S. leaders to reconsider national priorities. Facing the prospect of major tax increases and large cuts to Medicare and Social Security, Americans may seek savings in the sole giant discretionary spending program: the Department of Defense. In this 2011 lecture, Daryl Press, associate professor of government, considers the following questions: How would such cuts affect U.S. foreign policy? Would they leave us less safe? How might the U.S. prioritize among its current global security commitments? Which allies would be cut loose? Is this the twilight of the era of American global primacy?