Christopher Preble  argues that “U.S. foreign policy is crippled by a dramatic disconnect between what Americans expects of it and what the nation’s leaders are giving them.”  

“For the most part, American taxpayers, and especially American troops, have borne the burdens of ‘benevolent hegemony,’ while U.S. allies have been content to focus their attention on domestic spending, while their underfunded defenses languish.”  

“Can U.S. elites credibly claim that the economic benefits of U.S. foreign policy greatly outweigh the costs? The assertion that U.S. hegemony delivers a net gain to the U.S. economy was always on shaky ground – and is shakier still. In short, if the core rationale of our grand strategy remains, as it has been, to discourage other countries from defending themselves, can our leaders explain it that way to the American people and sustain popular support?”