Andrew Bard Schmookler

The United States, as the last of the superpowers, has the duty and moral obligation to send its military forces to the world’s trouble spots, argues Andrew Bard Schmookler in the following viewpoint. He contends that unless the United States contributes to these humanitarian or peacekeeping missions, other nations will be reluctant to participate, which will result in a massive human catastrophe. Furthermore, Schmookler maintains, it is in the country’s best interests to use its power to help those in need. Schmookler is a columnist and the author of several books on war and values.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Why should the lives of American soldiers be put at risk in global conflicts when American interests are not at stake, according...