Both World War II and the subsequent Cold War gave America's involvement in world affairs a clear focus. The objectives of foreign policy were relatively easy to define, and they could be imbued with high moral content.

The greatest crime since World War II has been U.S. foreign policy.

World War II and the ensuing Cold War compelled the United States to develop a sustained commitment to Western Europe and the Far East.

For Americans of the Greatest Generation that fought World War II and of the Silent Generation that came of age in the 1950s, the great moral and ideological cause was the Cold War. It gave purpose and clarity to our politics and foreign policy, and our lives.

The costly unilateralism of the younger Bush presidency led to a decade of war in the Middle East and the derailment of American foreign policy at large.

I grew up reading the classic novels of Cold War espionage, and I studied Russian history and Soviet foreign policy.