The world is in turmoil. The war in Ukraine grinds on, with persistent calls for the United States to continue supplying Ukraine’s war effort. China may be poised to invade Taiwan in the coming years and assert its ambitions throughout the South China Sea and elsewhere in East Asia. Israel continues its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with no end in sight. US troops remain ensconced in Syria and Iraq, and continue to be attacked by Iranian proxies throughout the region.

This international turmoil, and the constant calls for US military intervention, ignore the very real costs and consequences to the United States. Supplying ever-more munitions to Ukraine has already induced critical shortages in US munitions and ignores the danger of escalating the war with Russia. Acting as though a new cold war with China is inevitable only serves to make such a conflict more likely. Going to war to maintain the independence of Taiwan means risking nuclear war over a small island 7,000 miles from California. Keeping US soldiers in the Middle East, despite widespread opposition throughout the region, places these men and women at great risk for nebulous purposes and further destabilizes a region that is already in chaos.