Hard bargaining can produce better trade or defense terms. A pointless insult only gives Canadian politicians another reason to resist us.
As an AP U.S. History student nearly 40 years ago, one of the more vexatious essay questions my classmates and I had to tackle was whether the War of 1812 was a matter of “national honor” or “national interest.”
As I recall, we went round and round for days before settling on national honor.
National honor can serve the national interest. National vanity does not.
Honor is often a dumb reason to go to war.
Often — but not always! In reality, the war was fought for honor and interest. The British were impressing American sailors, interfering with American commerce, and treating the sovereignty of the young republic as something they could disregard when convenient.
National honor and national interest were entangled.
Donald Trump is very big on national honor. He wants America respected. He hates the idea that foreign governments might laugh at us, exploit us, rip us off, or conclude that the United States is too weak or timid to defend its interests.
National Honor or National Interest? The War of 1812 and Trump’s Policy Paradox
