Foreign Policy Post-Bush

The world is made in our image. We made it following World War II when there was a vacuum of leadership and the United States stepped into that void. We remain there still, and will for the foreseeable future.

Despite our efforts over the ensuing decades, with successes and failures, the world is still a dangerous place and in some ways is becoming more so. This argues for robust American engagement and leadership. We are the only ones who can provide it.

Without being too Hobbesian, we must work with our friends and allies to continue to build a world of laws, rules and norms fashioned by, and consistent with, our nation’s principles. In this I am in full agreement with President Kennedy, who, in his inaugural address stated, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Later in that same speech, President Kennedy said this, “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

On the international stage, we must design a foreign and defense policy that engages the world: allies, international institutions (most of which we built, by-the-way), non-aligned countries, and yes, our adversaries. We must not fear any country; rather, we must work with everyone, especially those countries struggling to throw off the failed policies of the past that have held them back, and help them to attain a modern, middle class society that is fully engaged and connected to the larger world. That doesn’t mean we need to finance the transition, but we need to be as supportive as we can through non-governmental organizations and international institutions.

Yet we must also realize that not all countries want to play by the established rules or be governed by international norms. We need to understand that there are leaders of some regimes that do not want to cooperate with their neighbors.

In these cases, we must work in concert with other civilized nations to confront these rogue regimes and their destructive leaders head-on. We need to draw for everyone a sharp distinction between those countries which operate within the community of nations and those who operate outside of this mutually agreed-upon structure. They must be confronted by the world; we must lead, or, at minimum, be willing to back up those countries most out front in meeting the challenges of dangerous and aggressive regimes. To do this, we must use every economic, diplomatic, cultural, legal, and, yes, military lever we have.

Going forward, our national security strategy must be based on a realistic assessment of the current security environment, with an eye toward the future threats we will likely face. There must be no sacred cows. For the United States in the 21st Century, the calculus of our national security challenges must include not only traditional defense and foreign policy areas, but needs to include a much wider set of threats, among which are: terrorism, proliferation, cyber-security, cultural and religious rifts, energy security, disease, poverty, science and technological innovation, corruption, transnational trafficking, international trade and economic policy.

In short, our government’s national security concerns cannot deal only with what is happening beyond our shores. Cohesive foreign and defense policy themes must permeate the entire structure of our national government.

In order to remain the strongest and most free country on earth, the United States must have the political will to engage and lead the world. That is where you come in. Push your elected officials to think about and address our nation’s place in the world, and educate them when they need help. When you travel overseas for business or pleasure, practice citizen diplomacy (see the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy in Des Moines for more information and practical guidance http://www.uscenterforcitizendiplomacy.org/index.php).

By engaging as a government and as citizens, we can continue to shape the world and the future in our image.