The 18th-Century Document That Can Save 21st-Century Foreign Policy
The Federalist Papers charted the path for the U.S. to become a democratic superpower.
He also understood foreign policy.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesForeign-policy types never tire of arguing about the great works of strategy: Clausewitz, Machiavelli, Sun Tzu and others. Just recently, wonks clashed over whether Thucydides’ “History of the Peloponnesian War” is a cliched irrelevancy or a useful guide to great-power relations.
Yet many students of strategy ignore America’s contribution to the canon: the Federalist Papers. That’s too bad, because the Federalist — a series of 85 essays written in tag-team fashion during the furious debate over ratification of the U.S. Constitution — set down the key strategic principles that would turn a nascent nation into a democratic superpower. It is a testament to the power of those ideas that many of them remain relevant in today’s era of competition. The Federalist is still an essential guide to America’s best approach to foreign policy.