National leaders decide whether to pursue war or peace based on their perceived interests, and those perceptions can change with public attitudes. As happened during the Korean and Vietnam wars, public disenchantment with mounting human—and especially economic—costs is the most likely reason that U.S. leaders would withdraw troops from Iraq.
Robert Higgs is Retired Senior Fellow in Political Economy, Founding Editor and former Editor at Large of The Independent Review.
Defense and Foreign PolicyDefense BudgetGovernment and PoliticsIraqLaw and LibertyPolitical Theory
Other Independent Review articles by Robert Higgs
Fall 2019 Pressure-Release Valves in Participatory Fascism
Winter 2018/19 Two Worlds: Politics and Everything Else
Fall 2018 Against the Whole Concept and Construction of the Balance of International Payments
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