A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order

by Richard N. Haass

This argues against an ambitious U.S. effort to remake Afghanistan, but it also argues against leaving it to its own devices. Instead, what makes sense is a long-term, open-ended effort to bolster the government with economic and military help. A military presence (along the lines of what was announced by the United States in July 2016) is also called for to reassure, to train, and to advise. Peace talks can be pursued, but expectations should be held firmly in check.

a condition to be managed than a problem to be solved.

Identities now are at one and the same time sub- and transnational; they are based more on religion, tribe, ethnicity, and ideology.

This will require a sustained, comprehensive approach that blends elements of prevention, protection, and resilience.

They should spend more on defense, but even more important is that they coordinate their spending so the result is additive rather than duplicative.

bolster the capacity of those NATO members bordering Russia. And as already mentioned, NATO enlargement ought to be put on hold until the alliance is in a position to fulfill its current obligations and prospective members can meet theirs.

Diplomacy will count for a great deal; there will be a premium on dexterity.

Another reality is that the United States for all its power cannot impose order.

That is one of the reasons why sovereign obligation is a desirable compass for U.S. foreign policy.

Sovereign obligation, by contrast, is designed for a world in which sometime rivals are sometime partners and in which collective efforts are required to meet common challenges.

have written on what this entails in a book titled Foreign Policy Begins at Home.

It is also true that the United States cannot lead or act effectively in the world if it does not have a strong domestic foundation.

add a robust infrastructure program, something that would provide jobs, increase U.S. competitiveness, and make the society more resilient in the face of natural disasters or terrorism.

The temptation is to put them aside, to focus on today’s crisis, and to allow the urgent to take precedence over the important.

Mounting debt will hasten the demise of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. This will happen due to loss of confidence in U.S. financial management and the related concern that what the United States will need to do to finance its debt will be at odds with what it should be doing to manage the domestic and, indirectly, world economy.

This will require a military that possesses a range of capabilities, considerable flexibility, and an ability to surge. It must be able to handle contingencies and conflicts of different type, scale, and duration in different places (possibly simultaneously) and against foes ranging from dangerous terrorist organizations to powerful nation-states.

Understanding these realities and judging the policies being put forward requires a citizenry that is globally literate and that appreciates the potential benefits of global involvement and the potential risks that come from globalization as well as from either too much or too little involvement in the world—or, more accurately, from too much of the wrong kind of involvement and too little of the right kind.

an era of narrowcasting that has largely superseded broadcasting that by definition needed to appeal to a wider audience.

jettison the so-called Hastert Rule, which requires that a majority of the majority party favor a bill before it can be brought up for a vote.

Direct democracy can all too easily be dominated by the passions of the moment and false representations without regard to enduring interests and relevant facts.

There has been a marked deterioration in U.S. relations with Russia, the result not just of its military actions in Ukraine and Syria but also of its interference in the 2016 U.S. election.