American military operations often begin with impressive displays of technological and operational excellence, much like a Bond film's opening scene. However, they frequently devolve into confusion and mediocrity due to a lack of coherent long-term strategy, leading to costly and disastrous outcomes.
The core weakness of U.S. foreign intervention isn't a lack of military or economic power, but a lack of seriousness about the aftermath. The U.S. lacks the patience, humility, and stamina for the difficult, unglamorous work of post-conflict planning and nation-building, dooming interventions to failure.
Unpredictable foreign policy, like threatening to attack a NATO ally over Greenland, erodes international trust. This directly endangers a key U.S. economic vulnerability: its reliance on foreign nations to buy its debt. Such actions could make it 'unpopular to buy or hold U.S. debt,' weaponizing capital against America.
The author argues that the American left suffers from a 'moral paralysis' when oppressors are non-Western, as in Iran. This selective silence on human rights abuses prevents a unified national stance and leads to squandered opportunities for regime change, such as during the 2022 women-led protests.