The Wisdom of a More Modest Foreign Policy

That would mean giving up on the pursuit of dominance that has defined U.S. foreign policy for decades and settling for a more modest but sustainable role in the world.

Thanassis Cambanis and Peter Salisbury sketch the outlines of a new and more realistic foreign policy for the U.S.:

The American government and policy elite might not yet be ready to openly espouse a strategy that accepts the limits to U.S. influence and opens doors to competitors. But the realignment of relative world power is already underway, and in practice the United States has two obvious choices. It can double down on the status quo, and continue pretending it is still the world’s sole superpower while paying lip service to values that it fails to back with meaningful policies—thus forfeiting still more influence. Or it can embrace change, steer into the multipolar transition, and seek to lead, both in partnership with other strong countries, and as a force for good in the world.

The changes that Cambanis and Salisbury propose are very sensible, and the U.S. would benefit from making the adjustments they recommend. That would mean giving up on the pursuit of dominance that has defined U.S. foreign policy for decades and settling for a more modest but sustainable role in the world. The alternative is a status quo approach marred by unnecessary wars, policy failures, and a more rapid loss of influence.