Topic: Carter Doctrine

Andrew Bacevich traces the militarization of U.S. policy in the Middle East to the 1980 Carter Doctrine. President Jimmy Carter's State of the Union address declared that any attempt by outside forces to gain control of the Persian Gulf would be met with military force. This shift moved the U.S. from a focus on Western Europe and East Asia to permanent involvement in the Islamic world.

The discussion continues with Bacevich's critique of the Carter Doctrine and the long-term failure of U.S. military power to stabilize the Middle East since 1980. The hosts agree with the thesis that the U.S. strategy in North Africa and the Middle East may intentionally favor perpetual chaos rather than democratic transformation. They question the logic of initiating another war in Syria given the outcomes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.