The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism
Read by Eric Conger

From an acclaimed conservative historian and former military officer, a bracing call for
a pragmatic confrontation with the nation's problems.The Limits of Power identifies a profound
triple crisis facing America: the economy, in remarkable disarray, can no longer be fixed by
relying on expansion abroad; the government, transformed by an imperial presidency, is
a democracy in form only; U.S. involvement in endless wars, driven by a deep infatuation with
military power, has been a catastrophe for the body politic.

These pressing problems threaten all of us, Republicans and Democrats. If the nation is to
solve its predicament, it will need the revival of a distinctly American approach: the neglected
tradition of realism.Andrew J. Bacevich, uniquely respected across the political spectrum, offers
a historical perspective on the illusions that have governed American policy since 1945.
The realism he proposes includes respect for power and its limits; sensitivity to unintended
consequences; aversion to claims of exceptionalism; skepticism of easy solutions, especially
those involving force; and a conviction that the books will have to balance. Only a return to
such principles, Bacevich argues, can provide common ground for fixing America's urgent problems
before the damage becomes irreparable.

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