In the Washington policy establishment, U.S. alliances are seen as an unqualified benefit to the United States. The consensus view holds that alliances disperse U.S. power more broadly, make it easier to apply, and help defray its costs. Whether they are bilateral or multilateral, alliances are celebrated as net contributors to U.S. national security.

Last year, the United States counted 50 of the world’s 195 countries as formal treaty allies, not including dozens more informal security relationships. U.S. allies do not carry a proportionate share of the burden of their defense, however. While Washington’s allies account for roughly 36 percent of world economic output, they account for only 24 percent of world military spending. Why have American policymakers failed to distribute defense burdens more equitably?

Please join us at noon on September 21 in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2043. Justin Logan, the Cato Institute’s director of defense and foreign policy and author of “Uncle Sucker: Why U.S. Efforts at Defense Burdensharing Fail,” will present his findings on why the United States has failed to entice its allies to carry a proportionate share of their defense burden and will recommend an alternative path forward.

Lunch will be provided