We Should Listen to George Kennan

American foreign policy is a mess and has been since the early 1950s.

If we listened to George Kennan, that would not be the case.

Kennan is famously responsible for the “containment doctrine” following World War II, meaning that the United States should contain communism to the areas where it already existed.

Taken to its extreme, this involved the United States in several hot wars and extensive foreign adventurism during the last half of the twentieth century.

But Kennan was not responsible for the expansion of “containment” or “containment in action.” In fact, he worried that American foreign policy became far too militaristic and aggressive.

He also correctly understood that the American economy had become dependent on the “military industrial complex.”

The left needs the welfare state and the right needs the warfare state.

In both instances, we have a private/public cooperative that props up the economy.

If anyone thinks we are living in the free market, they are delusional.

Progressive “conservatives” like government spending as much as progressive leftists.

Those on the right want the “guns” while the left wants the “butter.”

The establishment likes guns and butter.

We get inflation and oppressive centralization along with a society dependent on government spending and easy credit.

Kennan predicted all of this. He also thought secession should be on the table.

We should have listened to George Kennan.

I discuss Kennan on Episode 815 of The Brion McClanahan Show.