THE BEST EXCUSE FOR MINDING ONE'S OWN BUSINESS

The nations of the world can attain the blessed state of peace by taking either of the following two courses. One is by buying peace like an essential commodity, in which case it will be, like in paying the blackmailer, never quite enough, and never for keeps. The other course is surprisingly by becoming blatantly selfish, that is, by sticking to their vital national interest no matter what, and by renouncing all compromises on it, while at the same time, abandoning all unhealthy excesses, including meddling in other people’s business. You may be surprised how preciously few genuine conflicts will remain in the world, if nations are thus reduced to minding their own businesses, and leaving others’ alone.
It is in this sense that Nietzsche’s dictum “Egoism is the very essence of a noble soul” makes some extra good sense, and serves as an excellent rule of thumb in the conduct of foreign affairs, as long as the word "egoism" is properly understood, conforming to Nietzsche’s precise philosophical meaning! (For instance, I believe that Teddy Roosevelt was a healthy egoist in his conduct of American foreign policy, whereas in the last twenty years Washington has been moving in the entirely opposite direction.)
The trouble with American foreign policy today is that Washington habitually makes other nations' business its own (the more, the merrier!), and, because the basic premise here is morbidly false, both the practicality and the concept itself of legitimate American interest is diluted, trivialized, and rendered virtually impotent, as its impostor substitutes are welcome to fill its legitimate space.

The best way to conduct national foreign policy is to actively mind one’s own business, literally!