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Need for Comprehensive Agenda and Vision for New U.S. Foreign Policy

In the wake of the cold war and in the advent of a new century, there is a patent need for a reconfiguration in the way that the U.S. government and its citizens project themselves and interact in global affairs.

The rise in citizen diplomacy, the end of bipolar politics, the lack of military threats to the United States, the failure of development models, rapid environmental deterioration, the disintegration of historic patterns of national sovereignty, and the hyper-evolution of the global economy render traditional approaches to international affairs ineffective, inappropriate, and counterproductive. Overlaying this new international context are pressing questions about how, when, why, and where the U.S. government should use its disproportionate power and influence.

The challenge of defining a new global affairs agenda and mobilizing constituencies to support such an agenda is complicated by the crumbling of the former ideological parameters of the foreign policy debate and by shifts in traditional alliances. With the cold war over and economic globalization accelerating at a dizzying pace, the broad public consensus propagated by the traditional foreign policy elite around the liberal internationalist politics of increasing free trade and using U.S. money and might to make the world safe for democracy is disintegrating. Given the heightened sense of insecurity resulting from the rapid integration of global finances and production and in the absence of a military threat by another superpower, populist leaders and organizations on both sides of the political spectrum are promoting agendas of isolationism, nationalism, and localism.

In economic affairs, expressions of internationalism by the U.S. government—such as support of multilateral and regional agreements and institutions—are under attack by populists on the left and the right, while promoted by transnational corporations whose executives embrace globalism as a means of penetrating new markets and dominating existing ones. Historically, support for internationalism has been strongest among those constituencies concerned with peace and security issues. No longer caught up in the tensions of the cold war, the constituencies supporting the United Nations and global peacekeeping are not so easily mobilized.

The present global economic and political conjuncture has created opportunities for establishing a more enlightened foreign policy—one that responds to a better understanding of national interests and a better understanding of ourselves as members of a global community. Among the new possibilities for reshaping and strengthening constituent bases for a broadened global affairs agenda is the emerging sense of commonality around such issues as arms sales, corporate wealthfare, financial bailouts, managing trade, human rights, international law, export subsidies, military budgets, and the objectives of foreign aid. For the most part, however, these burgeoning alliances are shaped more as a reaction to changing times and in response to specific issues (such as the anti-NATA coalition) than as manifestations of new vision of the U.S. role in the global community.

All this flux highlights to the need for guiding principles and an overarching vision of global affairs to abet citizen activism, advocacy work, and policy reform. A new vision of the United States as a global leader and global partner should redirect the liberal internationalist commitments of 20th century U.S. foreign policy while building on the enduring humanitarian and ethical instincts of the U.S. public.

The challenge before us is the one that faces all those who recognize the need to revision global affairs. Meeting this challenge requires moving forward in three fundamental ways:

The first step is to acknowledge that the context for geopolitical and geoeconomic analysis has shifted dramatically. This has proved to be a difficult transition. Across the political spectrum—left, center, right—leading forces and institutions have remained largely wedded to analytical constructs formed during the long years of the cold war. Moreover, many who do shed their apparently outdated theories and beliefs simply jump to another side—from internationalism to localism or from self-determination to "the market knows best."

The second step in meeting the challenge to revision the role of the United States as a global leader and partner is to forge new principles that lay the foundation for such policies. This does not mean abandoning earlier principles—such as human rights, democracy, multilateralism, and international cooperation—in order to foster development. But it does mean looking at these traditional principles with a flexibility and wisdom informed by the reconfigured international context.

The third step is the most difficult for those involved in international affairs. It entails strengthening domestic constituencies to advance the principles of a new internationalism on the political stage. This means linking international events and trends with the daily lives and concerns of the American people. The new foreign policy agenda should make good sense to a wide majority of Americans and should make clear why certain policies are in their best long-term interests. It must be an agenda that is formulated in innovative ways and taps the growing popular conviction that we are living in a new global era. As such, this new agenda should not be wrapped in old assumptions about the natural constituencies for our prescriptions.

Methods for Formulating Global Affairs Agenda

The principles, analysis, and recommendations contained in this agenda will represent the synthesis of the essays we have assigned, the recommendations of the Foreign Policy In Focus briefs, internal discussions, the presentations at our forums, and comments by the network of analysts and organizations that have contributed to the more than 130 policy briefs and reports distributed by this project. In addition, we plan to integrate (with appropriate credit) elements of the reform agendas of other organizations that focus on U.S. policy in different regions and on specific issues.

Like the Foreign Policy In Focus project itself, the effort to formulate and popularize a new global affairs agenda strives to be inclusive and to build on the excellent work of organizations and experts throughout the world. We are building the agenda step by step.

First Step: The project editors, Tom Barry of IRC and Martha Honey of IPS, will incorporate the recommendations from the project’s briefs and reports (which have involved hundreds of writers and commentators) into region (Latin America, for example), and issue--(peace and security, for example)--specific agendas.

Second Step: Circulate these drafts to leading organizations and experts for comments, additions, criticisms, while asking if there are elements of the reform agendas promoted by other organizations that we should include or reference.

Third Step: Project editors together with the project’s advisory committee will consider comments and revise drafts accordingly. Final agenda items will reference sources (FPIF policy briefs, reports, other agendas, and organizations).

Fourth Step: Join various region- and issue-specific agendas into a comprehensive agenda, which will be distributed as a document for purposes of promoting wider discussion of the role of U.S. as a responsible global leader and partner in global affairs and to foster advocacy work.

Fifth Step: Project editors will produce a condensed version of the Global Affairs Agenda for circulation and endorsement by advocacy groups and constituency organizations in an effort to consolidate a network of support for new U.S. foreign policy. This agenda will also be distributed to congressional policymakers, their staff, and congressional candidates.

Help Shape the Agenda

The Foreign Policy In Focus Project is attempting to serve as a catalyst and a clearinghouse for all those organizations and individuals actively engaged in efforts to redefine the U.S. role in international affairs. We encourage your participation and suggestions. For information on the variety of ways you can participate in or support the project, see our get involved page.

We welcome your comments, suggestions, and critiques of these draft agendas. Please send your comments to Tom Barry <tom@irc-online.org>. Your comments will be considered by the project's editors and advisory committee in the drafting of the final version of the agenda.

We would also appreciate your alerting us about other reform agendas that we can reference and that may be useful in helping us shape a comprehensive global affairs agenda for the United States.

Methods w Comments w Second Chance w Progressive Challenge w Help Shape the Agenda w Citizens Agendas