Last weekend’s House votes on aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and a set of hawkish foreign-policy measures were dramatic and decisive. They may even prove historic. In a time of bitter polarization, the two parties managed to get four consequential foreign-policy bills over the finish line in a closely divided chamber. Friends and foes who thought America was paralyzed by internal dissension are taking another look.
The politics of American foreign policy today reflect a race between failure and fear. On the one hand, the serial failures and strategic incoherence of the conventional foreign-policy establishment lead many voters to oppose expensive foreign-policy initiatives they suspect will do little good. On the other hand, the visibly worsening state of the world and the growing power of countries that don’t disguise their hostile intentions are driving Americans to look to our defenses and allies.