In The Stupidity of War: American Foreign Policy and the Case for Complacency (Cambridge University Press), John Mueller argues that aversion to international war has had considerable consequences. American foreign policy has been dictated mostly by international threats that have been substantially exaggerated, including during the Cold War. Post‑9/​11 concerns about international terrorism and nuclear proliferation have been overwrought and often destructive. Meanwhile, threats from countries including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea or from cyber technology are limited and manageable. Mueller explains how, when international war is in decline, there might be more-viable diplomatic devices to be leveraged and that a large military is scarcely required.

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• Cambridge University Press: The Stupidity of War: American Foreign Policy and the Case for Complacency