But most international relations scholars were skeptical of the policy miscues listed above—and said so in public . In one 2004 survey of U.S. academics, just 15 percent reported backing Washington’s move to go to war in Iraq the year prior—a level of support much lower than among the general public. It was policy practitioners who too often ignored scholars’ warnings.
The past few years have created something of an existential crisis for the U.S. foreign-policy community. A series of big blunders—the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, regime change in Libya—have led many Americans to question the expertise of U.S. foreign-policy practitioners. Some have argued that President Donald Trump’s two election victories in 2016 and 2024 were populist vindications of the notion that presidents do not need to listen to experts as much as their guts.
The past few years have created something of an existential crisis for the U.S. foreign-policy community. A series of big blunders—the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, regime change in Libya—have led many Americans to question the expertise of U.S. foreign-policy practitioners. Some have argued that President Donald Trump’s two election victories in 2016 and 2024 were populist vindications of the notion that presidents do not need to listen to experts as much as their guts.
But most international relations scholars were skeptical of the policy miscues listed above—and said so in public.
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