We are not involved in the world because we have commitments; we have commitments because we are involved. Our interests must shape our commitments, rather than the other way around.
SEEKING, as always, to make "one thing clear," Richard Nixon succeeded last week in doing exactly that. He submitted to Congress a voluminous (40,000-word, 119-page) "State of the World" message that confirmed a significant change in U.S. foreign policy. American interest will be defined with more discrimination than before. Commitment of resources—financial and human—will be more cautious. Allies will be asked to share burdens more fully than before.
Billed by Nixon as the...