Time to Retire the Pottery Barn Rule.

The article examines the evolving relevance of the "Pottery Barn rule"—the foreign policy principle that "you break it, you own it"—originally articulated by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2002 regarding Iraq. It argues that this rule, once a deterrent against reckless intervention and a call for responsibility in nation-building, has lost its practical force amid recent U.S. actions in Iran and Venezuela, where administrations have shown reluctance to assume long-term control or reconstruction duties. The piece highlights the complexities and uncertainties of modern interventions, noting that while military strikes can remove authoritarian leaders, sustainable political transformation depends largely on local actors and broader geopolitical dynamics. It concludes that U.S. policy must now balance moral and political accountability with realistic assessments of risks and outcomes, recognizing that ultimate judgment rests with the affected populations rather than Washington. [Extracted from the article]