William Schambra is a Hudson Senior Fellow and Director of the Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal. This essay is adapted from a Bradley Lecture delivered at the American Enterprise Institute on December 8, 2009.
Caption
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Japan’s Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi inspect a guard of honor on October 29, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Getty Images)