Foreign Policy

Assume you are a member of President Obama's National Security Council and the president has asked for a fresh look at the direction of U.S. foreign policy. What do you think the proper future role for the United States should be? Can and/or should the United States continue to bear the costs and responsibilities as the global hegemon or is there some other role that would enable the United States to continue to prosper and maintain its freedom and security?

In thinking about this you might consider some other models such as Sweden and China. Sweden was once one of the most violent countries in Europe but in the early 1800s it radically changed its foreign policy to one of nonalignment in peacetime and neutrality in war. Since then Sweden has maintained that neutrality despite being in the midst of two world wars and the Cold War and it has done so without surrendering its sovereignty and while providing its citizens with one of the world's highest standards of living. This doesn't mean that Sweden is an isolationist country. While its nonalignment policy prevented it from joining NATO, it is a full-fledged member of the European Union. Although its neutrality policy kept it out of World Wars I and II, it does participate in UN peacekeeping operations.

China is another model. Although a rapidly growing economic superpower, China shows little interest in building a global military force projection capability. Instead China appears to be working hard to build its soft power, especially in Africa and has become a champion of the principle of nonintervention throughout the world

If you believe that the United States should continue its present role, then you should consider what sort of modifications, if any, it should make to better enable it to continue the role in a period of eroding economic dominance and increasing challengers.

If, on the other hand, you believe that the United States should step back from its present role, then you should consider who, if any, might provide system leadership or how the system might function without a leader and what the effects of either of these options might have on our long-term security and prosperity.