Munk Debate on Foreign Wars: opening statements
episodePreviously titled “Foreign wars opening statements” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 4, 2026
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What is the main topic of the Munk Debate on Foreign Wars?
This is what human decency demands. You don't let a radical regime close off the global economy by firing Shaheed missiles into nations that did nothing, right? They're firing into civilians in the United Arab Emirates even just this week. That's just not something that the world can accept. And so this monster is worthy of the hunt. You do know, Mike, that we started the war. No, absolutely not.
Absolutely not. Oh, no. No, no, no. Stephen. They weren't firing those missiles until Israel and the United States attacked Iran. You do understand that, right?
Welcome to 1979, when the revolutionary regime began to kill Europeans.
You do know that we overthrew the democratically elected government in 1954. Just for the record, you're talking about this... You don't think Iran has... You think Iran's forgotten about that?
No, I suspect they've not.
You don't think Iran remembers that we supported Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war? I know this.
You think they've forgotten about this? I know this. Other countries have history. Do you think Iran is a monster? No.
Welcome to this special edition of the Monk Debates podcast. On this episode, we are sharing the opening statements from the Monk Debate on foreign wars, which took place last Wednesday, May 20th, in front of a packed audience at Toronto's Meridian Hall. Against the backdrop of America's war with Iran, and after nearly three decades of disastrous Middle East interventions, the debate asked whether the U.S. should continue intervening abroad and what that means for the future of geopolitics. The resolution was, be it resolved, don't go hunting monsters. Arguing against the motion was Mike Pompeo, the 70th U.S. Secretary of State, former director of the CIA, and four-term U.S. congressman. He was joined by Toria Newland, whose 35-year career in the U.S.
Foreign Service includes roles as acting deputy secretary of state, assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasian affairs, and U.S. ambassador to NATO. Arguing in favor of the motion were two former Munk debaters and the world's leading proponents of U.S. foreign policy and military restraint. John Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, and Stephen Wall, Professor of International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School. As with all of our Monk Debates, the live audience voted on this resolution prior to hearing the debate. Initially, 55% of attendees favored the debate motion and 45% were opposed. Let's now join the debate in progress with Stephen Walt giving his opening statement, arguing in favor of the motion, be it resolved, don't go hunting monsters.
This is a debate between realists and crusaders. We all believe the United States should be actively engaged in the world and support a rules-based order. What we're debating is whether America should be a crusader state that tries to remake the world by overthrowing other governments. Our opponents say yes, we say no. In our view, the United States should use its power to deter or defeat attacks on the United States and to uphold the balance of power in critical regions. It made good sense for the United States to enter World War II. Japan attacked us, Germany declared war, and both countries were great powers engaged in vast wars of aggression. During the Cold War, American leaders were right to forge and lead an alliance to contain the Soviet Union.
We believe the first Bush administration was correct in leading the effort to expel Iraq from Kuwait to keep it from dominating the Persian Gulf. But President Bush acted with restraint. He wisely chose not to go to Baghdad to topple Saddam Hussein. His son, George W. Bush, made a different choice in 2003, even though Iraq was no longer a major threat and had no weapons of mass destruction. You all know how that crusade turned out. The resolution today, as Rudyard said, comes from a famous speech given by former President John Quincy Adams in 1821. To put Adams' remarks in modern terms, he was saying that America should not use its power to do regime change.
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