All Contributions
Is Military Aid an Effective Tool for U.S. Foreign Policy?
The United States spends billions of dollars every year on military aid to foreign governments around the world, in the hope that aid will boost national security and increase American influence. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, military assistance has increased and gone to more countries. In the fight against terrorism...
Japan, the United States, and the Shifting Balance of Air Power in Northeast Asia
In Northeast Asia, the balance of aerospace power is shifting – with pressing consequences for Japan and the alliance between Japan and the United States. Russia is modernizing its air power; North Korea periodically takes bellicose actions; and China is rapidly building military might. Previously constrained by underdeveloped air forces...
Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East
The winds of change are sweeping across the Middle East. With colleagues at the Center for a New American Security, I have written a report laying out the strategic adaptations needed to allow U.S. leaders to further American interests and values while contributing to greater regional security and political progress.U.S...
Can America Afford to Maintain Its Position in the World?
The United States, we are frequently told, is headed for fiscal disaster – and will be unable to sustain vital social programs, fund national defense, and make the investments in education, research, and improved systems of communication and transportation needed to compete with China and other rivals on the world...
How Ronald Reagan Taught Republicans to Love Tax Cuts
When Ronald Reagan entered the White House in 1981, the U.S. national debt was just under 33% of GDP – not very high by historical standards – and it was falling. By the time Reagan left office eight years later, America’s debt was over 53% of GDP and climbing steadily...
Why the U.S. Congress Cannot Really Declare War - And What Might be Done about It
In civics class, Americans learn that our Constitution assigns Congress the power to declare war – purportedly a clear break from British tradition, where the monarch has this authority. But, instead, in two centuries of practice, presidents have regularly started wars – and they have usually also made the public...
Does Africa Need a New Green Revolution to Fight Hunger?
“Green Revolution” is the label for concerted initiatives to increase agricultural production and prevent hunger and starvation in major regions of the world. Earlier efforts transformed agriculture in Mexico, India, and the Philippines – by facilitating the use of new technologies and commercial seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides to produce high-yield...
Grand Strategy and American Foreign Policy
A “grand strategy” can help America meet the challenges of a changing world – such as international terrorism, global environmental and economic instability, and the rise of new national powers. To approach foreign policy strategically requires defining America’s most important goals and then lining up available resources – money, military...