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Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

Will Ford

Keywords

liberal intervention, world's policeman, U.S. intervention, liberal democracy, nation building

Abstract

The United States has a unique role on the international stage. Over the course of its history, especially since the Cold War, it has shown a proclivity for intervening in other country’s affairs (Peceny 1999, 1–2; Muravchick 1991, 222). This is no surprise, given that the U.S. has long borne the self-assigned role of the “world’s policeman” (Etzioni 2016, 508). One of the driving factors behind U.S. intervention is the United States' commitment to a grand strategy that uses liberal intervention to create a world friendly to the U.S., its allies, and its interests (Pickering and Peceny 2006, 540). The United States often does this by using forceful intervention to promote liberal democracy abroad, usually either by overthrowing regimes perceived as a threat or defending friendly regimes (Pickering and Peceny 2006, 540). Many theorists and academics oppose U.S. intervention, suggesting that it creates instability by provoking resistance, inciting ethnic conflict, and furthering selfish motives other than the promotion of democracy, among other critiques (Jahn 2007, 224; Chua 2003, 274; Cavell 2002, xvii). While the concept of U.S. intervention may conjure up images of Cold War operations, the issue remains quite relevant today. With American politicians on both sides of the aisle turning against “nation building” and other forms of liberal intervention, it is a worthy endeavor to study liberal intervention so as to better ascertain if turning away from it is a wise choice (Abbot 2024, Waldman 2021).

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