TGL 31 | America's Foreign Policy Report Card: The Best and the Worst - James Lindsay CFR
Podcast: WAC HoustonPublished On: Tue Jul 14 2026
Description: What makes a foreign policy decision great? And what turns one into a historic catastrophe? Jim Lindsay, Senior Vice President at the Council on Foreign Relations, surveyed hundreds of historians from the world's largest professional association devoted to US foreign policy, and asked them to rank the 10 best and 10 worst decisions in American history, spanning from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 all the way to 2020. The results are fascinating, sobering, and uncomfortably relevant right now. The best decision? The Marshall Plan, the post-WWII commitment that rebuilt Western Europe, pushed back Soviet expansion, and solidified democracy across the continent. The worst? The US invasion of Iran, a war launched on pretenses, followed by a bloody occupation that squandered blood and treasure for little strategic gain. But the list doesn't stop there. The refusal to admit Jewish refugees before World War II. The Vietnam War doubling down. The Senate's rejection of the Treaty of Versailles. And the lessons embedded in each one that echo loudly in the decisions being made right now. Hosted by Maryanne Maldonado | The Greater Loop: A podcast of the World Affairs Council of Houston Subscribe for global affairs content that connects the world to your world. Topics covered: The #1 best US foreign policy decision — and why historians agreed overwhelmingly The #1 worst — and what it reveals about military overreach Why foreign policy failures come from doing too much AND too little The Jewish refugee crisis as a foreign policy failure of inaction Vietnam: how LBJ doubled down on a war he didn't believe in The Marshall Plan's secret — George Kennan's two words: "Avoid trivia" America's isolationist era and what it cost the world What history tells us about global leadership vs. turning inward How to find CFR's full ranking of 120 decisions at CFR.org Check the upcoming program with James Lindsay https://wachouston.org/event/james_lindsay/
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