A Foreign Policy for the Left

by Michael Walzer

Overview

Something that has been needed for decades: a leftist foreign policy with a clear moral basis

Foreign policy, for leftists, used to be relatively simple. They were for the breakdown of capitalism and its replacement with a centrally planned economy. They were for the workers against the moneyed interests and for colonized peoples against imperial (Western) powers. But these easy substitutes for thought are becoming increasingly difficult. Neo-liberal capitalism is triumphant, and the workers’ movement is in radical decline. National liberation movements have produced new oppressions. A reflexive anti-imperialist politics can turn leftists into apologists for morally abhorrent groups. In Michael Walzer’s view, the left can no longer (in fact, could never) take automatic positions but must proceed from clearly articulated moral principles. In this book, adapted from essays published in Dissent, Walzer asks how leftists should think about the international scene—about humanitarian intervention and world government, about global inequality and religious extremism—in light of a coherent set of underlying political values.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300231182
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	01/09/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	1,021,116
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Michael Walzer, one of America’s foremost political thinkers, served as editor of the political journal Dissent for more than three decades. He has written about a wide variety of topics in political theory and moral philosophy.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: The Default Position 1

1 Moments in Time Getting Things Right and Wrong 11

2 What Is Left Internationalism? 35

3 In Defense of Humanitarian Intervention 53

4 Is There an American Empire? 77

5 Global and Domestic Justice 98

6 World Government and the Politics of Pretending 116

7 The Left and Religion The Case of Islam 136

8 The Complex Formation of Our Battles 157

Postscript: Can There Be a Decent Left? 170

Notes 183

Index 193

Editorial Reviews

11/06/2017
Walzer (Just and Unjust Wars) insightfully analyzes why the American left has “never gotten a good grip on foreign policy or on security policy” and offers a path forward for “socialists, social-democrats, and left-leaning liberals” to develop principled positions. His critiques are grounded in the observation that, overall, the left has not succeeded in realizing its aims. Underlying his arguments is a plea for acknowledgment that a country’s responsibilities toward the leaders and citizens of other nations are complex and irreducible to a sound bite or tweet, and so ethical leftists must be able to simultaneously support and criticize—for example, they must be able to advocate for movements of national liberation while condemning acts of terror ostensibly committed to further them. His insistence on not pulling punches, as when he notes that the left was responsible for the most bloodshed in the 20th century, will gain him a hearing among open-minded centrists and rightists. But his readership is his colleagues on the left, whom he calls to task for being reluctant to condemn Islamist terror, reflexively anti-Israel, and unthinkingly opposed to the use of force. This essential, jargon-free volume issues clear-eyed prescriptions for drawing necessary moral distinctions in a complicated world. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

This essential, jargon-free volume issues clear-eyed prescriptions for drawing necessary moral distinctions in a complicated world.”—Publishers Weekly

“Walzer’s . . . message is one of hope and potential. He reminds us that we can and must engage with our fellow citizens and global comrades, because we share their fate.”—Regina Munch, The Progressive

“Displays many of the virtues that have long distinguished Walzer as a leading thinker about war—most notably his ability to frame clear ethical judgments that avoid the postures of both the saint and the cynic.”—Lawrence Douglas, Harper’s

"Walzer has chosen a just fight for his polemic, and he fights justly—and to me his moral reasoning is clear and largely persuasive."—Tod Lindberg, Commentary

“Walzer is among America’s most thoughtful and influential left-wing public intellectuals.”—Michael C. Desch, Review of Politics

“At a time when too many well-motivated leftists are trapped in what Michael Walzer characterizes as a complacent 'default position,' his case for leftist foreign-policy activism, buttressed by serious inquiry into a practical program of action, represents a significant accomplishment.”—David Goldfischer, Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver

"Michael Walzer addresses an urgent issue that has not received the attention it deserves—the complex attitudes of American left-wing intellectuals toward American foreign policy in particular and American engagement with international affairs in general.  He is unafraid to criticize the American left for parochialism, insularity, and even isolationism. This lucid, passionate book is bound to stimulate vigorous debate."—Michael Ignatieff, President of Central European University, Budapest

"Michael Walzer may be America's most challenging philosopher of liberalism today. We are indeed fortunate that his essays are written with so much passion, eloquence, and precision that his readers may rest assured to find themselves in edifying, and often inspiring, company."—Eric Alterman, columnist, The Nation

"Michael Walzer’s search for a sensible left-wing approach to international wrongs is one of the compelling ventures in our political-philosophical life, and it is beautifully on display in these cogent and challenging essays."—Todd Gitlin, author of The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage

"For those of us who grew up on Just and Unjust Wars, Michael Walzer is a beacon of honest, engaged debate. His call for a leftist foreign policy based on decency and humanity is a vitally important corrective to so many of his comrades who have lost their bearings in and on global politics."—Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America
 

From the Publisher

"For those of us who grew up on Just and Unjust Wars, Michael Walzer is a beacon of honest, engaged debate. His call for a leftist foreign policy based on decency and humanity is a vitally important corrective to so many of his comrades who have lost their bearings in and on global politics."—Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America
 

Anne-Marie Slaughter

"Michael Walzer’s search for a sensible left-wing approach to international wrongs is one of the compelling ventures in our political-philosophical life, and it is beautifully on display in these cogent and challenging essays."—Todd Gitlin, author of The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage

Todd Gitlin

"Michael Walzer may be America's most challenging philosopher of liberalism today. We are indeed fortunate that his essays are written with so much passion, eloquence, and precision that his readers may rest assured to find themselves in edifying, and often inspiring, company."—Eric Alterman, columnist, The Nation

Eric Alterman

"Michael Walzer addresses an urgent issue that has not received the attention it deserves—the complex attitudes of American left-wing intellectuals toward American foreign policy in particular and American engagement with international affairs in general.  He is unafraid to criticize the American left for parochialism, insularity, and even isolationism. This lucid, passionate book is bound to stimulate vigorous debate."—Michael Ignatieff, President of Central European University, Budapest

Michael Ignatieff

At a time when too many well-motivated leftists are trapped in what Michael Walzer characterizes as a complacent 'default position,' his case for leftist foreign-policy activism, buttressed by serious inquiry into a practical program of action, represents a significant accomplishment.”—David Goldfischer, Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver

David Goldfischer