In the area of foreign policy, almost all leading thinkers claim to seek our national interest—but what is that, exactly? And which, if any, among the mainstream approaches in foreign policy can actually secure our interests? Surveying major challenges and threats confronting the United States, this course considers the answers offered by prominent voices in foreign policy and compares them to an approach informed by Ayn Rand’s ethics of egoism. The aim is to identify the contours of an egoistic foreign policy and situate it alongside other views in current debates—mapping out areas of similarity and difference.

Reading Winning the Unwinnable War prior to the course is strongly recommended. The course covers new material that builds on that book.