Speak Softly and Let Others Carry the Big Stick

Facing smaller defense budgets and a public tired of massive military interventions, the Obama administration has declared an end to big-footprint wars. That is welcome news to many, but as the United States pulls its own troops back, it will increasingly rely on allies and partner states to serve as military proxies — a situation that begs complex practical and moral questions. And at the moment, we don’t seem to have good answers to them.