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A panel of foreign policy leaders shared their perspectives on "The U.S. Role in the World" during ILF's final panel. Jack Lew, White House chief of staff, started with an overview of the Obama administration’s foreign policy. One of the challenges the administration faces is maintaining a constituency for U.S. international engagement. While foreign aid is only 1 percent of the budget, President Obama has called it “one of the smartest investments we can make.” Read the full text of Lew's remarks.
Institutions created in the 20th century are not working in the 21st, said Madeleine K. Albright, former secretary of state and NDI chairman. “The institutions” she notes, “were created to deal with nation-states, but now have to deal with many new actors playing by different rules.”
Michèle Flournoy, former U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy, believes the tools required in today's complicated world are diplomacy and development, education and military-to-military relationships. James Steinberg, former deputy secretary of state, agreed and noted that a “diplomatic surge” is in progress. The diplomacy team must then work effectively with the defense department to grapple with the problems the U.S. is facing.
When discussing Asia, Steinberg believed an "Asia pivot" sets the stage for generations; how the U.S. engages China will help to shape the state it will become. “We want to live in a world where China is powerful, but the region is not more insecure,” Steinberg said. “Engagement needs to be not just military but economic as well.” Tim Roemer, former U.S. ambassador to India, took exception to the term “pivot,” suggesting that it was more of a balance, recognizing the economic potential of both traditional allies and new Asian ones. A regional concert of democracies, including India, is key; through such efforts, Roemer said, we could see a blossoming of more democracies across the region.
To better engage youth in U.S. foreign relations, Sen. Dianne Feinstein suggested developing an expertise in a particular area or country, while Roemer emphasised the importance of real international travel. “Technology,” he said, “is no replacement for living overseas.”
