Like most of my fellow citizens, I’m proud to be an American. As we celebrate Independence Day and reflect on our nation’s history and heritage, we are pleased to identify with the United States and to stand with our country against its competitors and adversaries.
Globalization has transformed our planet, again and again. It touches every part of our lives: the food we eat, the entertainment we enjoy, the ways we communicate, the products we buy. For many of us, it shapes the way we earn a living in an increasingly connected and interdependent world.
Looking back over the years that I’ve been involved with foreign policy; I find it noteworthy that policymakers spend so much time and attention on the Middle East. It has only 3% of the world’s population and is not particularly wealthy or powerful, but the world watches and is often fixated there.
We Americans have long prided ourselves on offering a safe haven to people seeking refuge from conflict and repression. The theme is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
The phrase “the common good” and its importance in our history has always impressed me. I’ve been wondering about the history of the idea: where it comes from, what it means and the impact it has. The concept goes back a long way.
Our national security experts confront many threats to order and stability in the world. In this column, I touch on a few of the most urgent of them.
We see a new tone in diplomatic affairs between the United States and China, a real change in how both sides view the relationship. Top officials now talk openly about competition – much more so than a few years ago.
The relationship between the United States and China is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. When it goes smoothly, global tensions are low. When the relationship hits the rocks, tensions rise, not only between the U.S. and China but throughout the world.
The basic premise of American global policy, at least since the end of World War II, has been that we should work to build a peaceful international order, conducive to democratic expansion and multilateral cooperation. We believed our security needs were best met through a rules-based order based on shared principles, including respect for national… Read more »
Without a doubt, America’s global image has diminished in recent years. We once were preeminent as an international leader, but those days are no more. While the presidency of Donald Trump brought U.S. prestige to a low point, there are things we can do to restore our global leadership.
