The Tragedy of U.S. Foreign Policy: How America’s Civil Religion Betrayed the National Interest

December 12, 2016 Stanley and Arlene Ginsburg Family Foundation Lecture Series In his latest book, The Tragedy of U.S. Foreign Policy: How America’s Civil Religion Betrayed the National Interest, FPRI's Walter McDougall examines the grand sweep of U.S.. diplomatic and military history through the lens of what he calls America's civil religion - our own non-sectarian faith with a shifting catechism. How have Americans' views of our national purpose changed over time, and how has that shaped American foreign policy? McDougall will explore these questions in a wide-ranging talk not to be missed. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his 1987 book The Heavens and the Earth: A Political History of the Space Age and has also written critically acclaimed books on American history and the history of American foreign policy. A veteran of the Vietnam War, McDougall received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago and is Alloy-Ansin Professor of International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania.