The Responsibilities of a Global Hegemon
This brief is by no means comprehensive but is meant as an honest attempt to build a framework around the foreign policy debate this election season. Per the usual, there is much talk this season about restoring American strength. The strength underpinning the notion of American exceptionalism is deeply rooted in the country's geopolitical identity. The United States has two vast oceans for buffer and is built on a resource-rich and naturally integrated land that not only fosters a strong national identity but also enables deep economic linkages with neighbors on the North American continent. The United States needs a stronger alliance architecture abroad if it hopes to preserve its strengths at home. Whether you advocate a more narrow "America first" policy, or a more isolationist strategy, or simply want to apply more scrutiny to U.S. foreign activity abroad, the responsibilities of the U.S. leadership will run deep.
