Paper
Smaller powers cannot go it alone, but Canadian history shows that integration with the United States will not always be benign.
Paul Samson
Programs
American Statecraft
About the Program
The American Statecraft Program develops and advances ideas for a more disciplined U.S. foreign policy aligned with American values and cognizant of the limits of American power in a more competitive world.
Program Experts
Christopher S. Chivvis
Senior Fellow and Director, American Statecraft Program
Aaron David Miller
Senior Fellow, American Statecraft Program
Heather Penatzer
Nonresident Scholar, American Statecraft Program
Jeffrey Prescott
Senior Fellow, American Statecraft Program
Brett Rosenberg
Nonresident Scholar, American Statecraft Program
Katie Tobin
Nonresident Scholar, American Statecraft Program
Stephen Wertheim
Senior Fellow, American Statecraft Program
Collection
The Future of American Power
What is the future of American power? The United States commands extraordinary resources across every dimension of national power, yet in recent years it has struggled to achieve many important foreign policy aims. This paradox raises a key question for Americans and the world: What can the United States actually do with the power it has? Our project examines not just the quantity but the qualities of American power, assesses the degree to which it is eroding, and asks how the United States might use the power it has to better effect.
What Canada Knows About American Power
Paper
Soft power on its own is insufficient to meet U.S. national security needs, but hard power also has its limits. Soft power allows for more effective and efficient use of hard power than hard power alone, as it encourages cooperation and compliance which deters the need for hard power.
Sarah Yerkes
Paper
Washington needs to recognize that influence in the Western Hemisphere comes from presence, delivery, and reliability. It also must recognize that while the United States remains the key external actor, it no longer operates in a permissive environment and cannot presume deference from regional players who have other options, namely China.
Juan S. Gonzalez
Collection
Diplomacy and Foreign Policy Strategy
Innovative foreign policy recommendations grounded in reality
Report
How large foreign policy shifts happen despite pressures to maintain the status quo.
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Christopher S. Chivvis, Jennifer Kavanagh, Sahil Lauji, …
In The Media
When the war in Ukraine ends, the United States should seize opportunities to weaken the ties between China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
Christopher S. Chivvis
- •Foreign Affairs
Report
Alliances remain crucial to American statecraft in an era of great-power competition, but Washington needs to be clear eyed about their costs and benefits.
- +3
Christopher S. Chivvis, Kristin Zhu, Beatrix Geaghan‑Breiner, …
Collection
A More Disciplined American Global Leadership
Challenging assumptions about America’s global priorities to serve the needs of the future.
In The Media
The United States needs to do more than merely avoid the most spectacular blunders of old: It must make a new place for itself in global affairs
Stephen Wertheim
- •New York Times
In The Media
Never in the years since the Cold War has the United States looked less like a leader of the world and more like the head of a faction — reduced to defending its preferred side against increasingly aligned adversaries
Stephen Wertheim
- •The New York Times
In The Media
For decades, collective European self-defense was merely an aspiration. Today, the time to realize this goal seems to be at hand.
Christopher S. Chivvis
- •Foreign Affairs
Collection
American Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy
Ensuring that American foreign policy serves the needs of its citizens
Article
The legacy of thought leaders in the CBC reveals how Congress can make space for meaningful democratic debate on the direction of U.S. foreign policy.
Christopher Shell
Article
Although the coming-of-age generation is broadly internationalist, most prefer a more modest U.S. role in the world, including with China, Israel, and Ukraine.
Christopher S. Chivvis, Lauren Morganbesser
Paper
There has been a long bipartisan tradition of seeking to persuade through fear appeals. But there are risks in addition to rewards with this approach, as shown by two examples: China and climate change.
Brett Rosenberg
Collection
Economic Statecraft
Aligning U.S. foreign policy with changing domestic and global economic realities
Commentary
Instead of allowing the DFC’s authorization to lapse, Congress could make the bank more nimble than before.
Afreen Akhter
In The Media
The political shift toward government equity in companies raises complex policy issues regarding the government’s role in the economy.
Peter Harrell
- •Lawfare
In The Media
Trump is misusing a statute to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico that hurt American interests.
Peter Harrell
- •Wall Street Journal
Podcast Series
Carnegie Connects
Carnegie Connects is our premier live podcast hosted by Aaron David Miller. Every other week, he tackles the most pressing foreign policy issues of the day in conversations with journalists, policymakers, historians, and experts.
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Video Series
How Can the U.S. and China Reach a Realistic Coexistence?
Tensions between the United States and China have made many strategists pessimistic about the future of their relationship. With the two powers competing in nearly every domain, there is a real risk of conflict over the next decade. If there is to be any possibility of stability in their relationship, we need a positive vision for how to get there. In the Carnegie Endowment’s new edited volume, ten experts present their ideas about positive and realistic scenarios for the U.S.-China relationship over the next decade.