Event

Andrew Bacevich: Limits of American Power

Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich says our country is not just facing a crisis; it is facing three: an economy in remarkable disarray, a government veering from democracy, and an infatuation with military power. We all are threatened by these problems, Bacevich says, and we all must help solve them by reviving the neglected American tradition of realism. Bacevich, a retired Army colonel and author of the new critique The Limits of Power, suggests a return to pragmatic principles, including a respect for power and its limits, skepticism of easy solutions, and a conviction that the books will have to balance. Only a return to such principles, Bacevich argues, can provide common ground for fixing America's urgent problems before the damage becomes irreparable. Presented by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life, with Elliott Bay Book Company.