Title

Debating America’s role in the world: Representative Ron Paul’s exceptionalist jeremiad

Publication Date

2011

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This essay examines Texas representative Ron Paul’s foreign policy discourse during the 2008 presidential campaign. The author argues that Paul encased his opposition to America’s foreign policy within a secular jeremiad. Although Paul failed to win any of the Republican primaries, his opposition to America’s involvement with Iraq and other parts of the globe is a microcosm of a larger debate occurring among U.S. foreign policy elites on the extent of America’s role within the world and about the very nature of its exceptional status. This analysis informs a theoretical understanding of American exceptionalism and interrogates a larger debate in U.S. foreign policy.

Original Citation

Edwards, J.A. (2011). Debating America’s role in the world: Representative Ron Paul’s exceptionalist jeremiad. American Behavioral Scientist, 55, 253-269. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764210392162

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