Empire Salon | Ivan Eland | December 17th, 2025

Introduction by Committee Chairman John Henry

We are delighted to have our own Ivan Eland back to speak to us tonight. For more than three decades, Ivan has enjoyed a distinguished career in Washington as a defense analyst — at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Congressional Budget Office, Cato, and the Independent Institute.

"Defense" is Orwellian. Defense is really offense: the one part of the government immune from political competition. Since the Committee for the Republic began in 2003, Ivan has been a valuable member of our board. He is the author of 10 original books — each inspired by his highly developed constitutional personality and citizen identity. His latest — hot off the press — A Balance of Titans and The Domestic Causes of American War are available at the back of the room.

Ivan sensibly makes the argument that most wars in American history were unnecessary. More bases, more treaties and more spending don’t make us safe. Ivan tells us less is more. True to the Committee’s mission, Ivan wishes to be a citizen of an inward-looking republic celebrating the rule of law and liberty and justice for all rather than being a subject of an outward-looking empire celebrating the law of the jungle where the strong do what they want and the weak accept what they must. Ivan is a constitutionalist to his core, calling for Congress to end the three-quarters of a century abdication of its war power. It goes without saying that Ivan’s views are a minority view in Washington today, even though his was a majority view and simply known as constitutional by our founding generation.

Ivan makes a strong case for cutting our defense budget in half and withdrawing from NATO and our Asian treaties. He lays out a detailed plan for restricting American military power to the Western Hemisphere. This would allow us to cut the Navy in half, the Army, Air Force and Marines by two-thirds and eliminate our vulnerable land-based and bomber-based nuclear deterrent. Ivan believes our most vital national interest is the U.S. Constitution. That is why we love Ivan.

Invitation:

The Committee welcomes long-term board member Ivan Eland back as a speaker. Ivan has written two new books, A Balance of Titans: Peace and Liberty in a New Multi-Polar World and The Domestic Causes of American Wars: Hidden Economic and Political Triggers. He argues most American wars have been unnecessary -- justified by exaggerated or nonexistent foreign threats for political gain and the benefit of powerful vested interests. Trump’s unconstitutional presidential war against Venezuela fits the bill. By financing global military supremacy to the tune of $1.7 trillion a year, the Democratic and Republican parties have racked up a $38 trillion debt, undermined separation of powers and eroded civil liberties.

Ivan favors a much leaner military -- with a price tag of $500 billion a year -- by embracing a multi-polar world and retrenching to the Western Hemisphere. He calls for the end of lip service to the Constitution! To make the Constitution great again, we need to make Congress great again. Congress must restore its war power and end entangling alliances – withdrawing from NATO and Asian treaties.

Ivan is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace and Liberty at the Independent Institute and previously served as Director of Defense Policy Studies at the Cato Institute and on the congressional staff for 16 years, including stints on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as Principal Defense Analyst at the Congressional Budget Office.