Recorded as part of the World Beyond the Headlines series, Ira Chernus tackles the question of why U.S. foreign policy aimed at building national strength and security has the paradoxical effect of making the country less safe and secure. His answer: The “war on terror” is based not on realistic appraisals of the causes of conflict, but rather on “stories” that neoconservative policymakers believe about human nature and a world divided between absolute good and absolute evil. © 2007, The University of Chicago.

Recorded Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at International House.