THE US is undoubtedly the world’s top military and economic power at this time. Yet as the Iran quagmire has shown, despite its great wealth and cutting-edge firepower, America has failed to subdue a far less powerful adversary. In fact, it seems that those that run the US have not heeded the lessons of history, especially in cases where America’s involvement in military aggression against other states has resulted in an eventual retreat by Washington — without achieving its aims. These unfulfilled goals have included regime change, ‘humanitarian’ interventions, as well as punitive measures against states refusing to toe the American line. In the process, the US has left a trail of destruction across Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Yet it continues to repeat the same failed policies, thinking that military might alone can punish ‘errant’ states. The so-called ‘Donroe Doctrine’ practised by the current administration is part of a long list of flawed foreign policies, though some would argue that President Donald Trump has outdone many of his predecessors where reckless military adventures are concerned.

Observers point out that over the past few decades, the US has taken up the role of Europe’s erstwhile imperial powers, which colonised and plundered faraway lands, while maintaining the fiction of ‘responsibility to protect’ native populations from their own rulers. Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya offer cautionary tales about just how wrong US military adventurism can go. Tens of thousands of civilian deaths collectively and broken states and societies have been the primary result of this interventionism. The US has also paid dearly in blood and treasure, with trillions of dollars poured into ruinous wars, and has suffered troop casualties. Earlier, there was the Vietnam debacle and regime change actions in South and Central America. Yet the same folly is being repeated in Iran, while Cuba may be next on the menu.

Regrettably, the American establishment has little idea about the cultures, values and history of the countries it has attacked. It seems that US foreign policy decisions are made by those close to the military-industrial complex — which stands to gain handsomely from endless wars — rather than professional diplomats. The late president Gen Dwight Eisenhower had, in fact, cautioned against the growing influence of the arms industry in government. His successors in the White House failed to heed this warning. States all over the world have many internal problems. But that should not mean a role for the US, or any other country for that matter, as global policeman. Democracy and reform are internal organic processes that cannot be delivered through foreign military intervention. Instead of trying to fix the world, the US needs to look inward, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans struggling to pay their bills.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2026