Editing Stephen Walt (section)

===American power and culture===
On the twentieth anniversary of the war against Iraq, Walt characterized the [[rules-based world order]] as "a set of rules that we [the US] had an enormous role in writing, and of course which we feel free to violate whenever it's inconvenient for us to follow them."<ref>As quoted by Matthias von Hein in [https://www.dw.com/en/the-shadow-of-the-iraq-war-lingers-on/a-65012953 The shadow of the Iraq war lingers on], [[Deutsche Welle]] 2023.</ref> In the comprehensive 2005 article "Taming American Power", Walt argued that the US should "make its dominant position acceptable to others—by using military force sparingly, by fostering greater cooperation with key allies, and, most important of all, by rebuilding its crumbling international image." He proposed for the US to "resume its traditional role as an 'offshore balancer{{' "}}, to intervene "only when absolutely necessary", and to keep "its military presence as small as possible."<ref name="taming">{{cite journal|last=Walt|first=Stephen M.|title=Taming American Power|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/61025/stephen-m-walt/taming-american-power|journal=Foreign Affairs|date=September–October 2005|volume=84|issue=5|pages=105–120 |doi=10.2307/20031709|jstor=20031709|access-date=December 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228075447/http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/61025/stephen-m-walt/taming-american-power|archive-date=2013-12-28|url-status=live}}</ref> In a late 2011 article for ''[[The National Interest]]'', "The End of the American Era", Walt wrote that the US was losing its position of world dominance.<ref name="national">{{cite web|last=Walt|first=Stephen M.|title=The End of the American Era|url=http://nationalinterest.org/article/the-end-the-american-era-6037|work=National Interest|date=25 October 2011 |access-date=December 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228170518/http://nationalinterest.org/article/the-end-the-american-era-6037|archive-date=2013-12-28|url-status=live}}</ref>

Walt gave a speech in 2013 to the [[Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies]], "Why does US foreign policy keep failing?" The institute later described him as seeing "an overwhelming bias among US foreign policy institutions toward an activist foreign policy" and "a propensity to exaggerate threats, noting the chances of being struck by lightning have been far greater since 2001 than death by terrorist attack." He also characterized the US as lacking "diplomatic skill and finesse" and advised Europeans "to think of themselves and not rely on the US for guidance or advice on solving their security issues." Ultimately, he argued that "the United States is simply not skilled enough to run the world."<ref name=failing>{{cite web|last=Mayer|first=Michael|title=Why does US foreign policy keep failing?|url=http://ifs.forsvaret.no/seminar-konferanser/arr_2013/Sider/walt_june13.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230235205/http://ifs.forsvaret.no/seminar-konferanser/arr_2013/Sider/walt_june13.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 December 2013|publisher=Institutt for Forsvarsstudier|access-date=27 December 2013}}</ref>

In 2013, Walt asked "Why are Americans so willing to pay taxes in order to support a world-girdling national security establishment, yet so reluctant to pay taxes to have better schools, health care, roads, bridges, subways, parks, museums, libraries, and all the other trappings of a wealthy and successful society?" He said that the question was especially puzzling given that "the United States is the most secure power in history and will remain remarkably secure unless it keeps repeating the errors of the past decade or so."<ref name=stories>{{cite web|last=Walt|first=Stephen M.|title=The 2013 Stories that Never Were|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/voices/walt#sthash.ruxfm9q4.dpbs|work=Foreign Policy|access-date=27 December 2013|date=26 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225162726/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/voices/walt#sthash.ruxfm9q4.dpbs|archive-date=2013-12-25|url-status=live}}</ref>