U.S. in the World

Parag Khanna and Fareed Zakaria in Wired | 'The Post-National, Post-American World as a League of Regions'

Communications — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:51:00 -0400

...Two new books – The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria and The Second World by Parag Khanna – argue that the new global economy power will be more dispersed and multipolar.

"Mr. Zakaria believes we are experiencing modern history's third great power shift, after the rise of the West from the 15th century on, and the rise of the U.S. in the 19th century. But he argues that this latest transition is not so much about the decline of America as it is about “the rise of the rest,” and by that he means much more than simply China or India. The end result will be a “landscape that is quite different from the one we have lived in until now – one defined and directed from many places and by many peoples.” Mr. Khanna similarly predicts that we are headed toward a “global, multi-civilizational, multipolar” world with three superpowers: the U.S., China and the European Union.

"Each of the Big Three powers will assert its influence differently, but the intense demand for energy and resources means that the underlying goal will be the same. And the main battlefield for this geopolitical competition, Mr. Khanna argues, is the “second world” – about… more

The Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

Communications — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:30:00 -0500

A New America Event
01/30/2008 - 2:30pm

Nuclear terrorism is an urgent threat, but policy debates have been dangerously dominated by caricatured depictions of terrorist groups and potential plots. In his latest book, On Nuclear Terrorism, Michael Levi argues that an obsession with worst-case scenarios and finding perfect defenses has blinded us to important opportunities to confront the nuclear threat.

On Jan. 30, the Nuclear Strategy & Nonproliferation Initiative drew together Levi and New America’s Priscilla Lewis and Jeffrey Lewis to engage in a discussion of… more

Dream Speech Project Inspires Radio Program by Mainstream Media Project

Communications — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 10:04:00 -0400

The Dream Speech Project of the U.S. in the World Initiative at New America Foundation invites Americans to ask themselves what they’d like to hear their elected leaders say to the nation about the global challenges we face and how we should engage with the rest of the world. In July, a one-hour syndicated radio program based on the Dream Speech Project aired on more than 200 stations across the country and several stations abroad. “If I Ran the Zoo: Rethinking America’s Role in the World” was produced by Mainstream Media Project, a nonprofit organization that uses mainstream broadcast media to raise public awareness of critical issues. The show featured dream speeches written by high school and college students, plus perspectives on America’s global role from South Asia and the Middle East, and an interview with political insider Rand Beers, president of the National Security Network.

For more information on "If I Ran the Zoo" program, please click here.

For more information on the Dream Speech Project, please click here.

A United Nations Strengthened by and Strengthening Democracy

Communications — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 06:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/25/2006 - 3:00pm

Dr. Mark P. Lagon is Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (since January 2004). In this capacity, he has broad responsibility for multilateral policy development, negotiations and administration, particularly within the United Nations system. He has lead responsibility for UN-related human rights and humanitarian policy, UN administration and reform, as well as the IO Bureau's public diplomacy and outreach programs.

Dr. Lagon previously served as a Member of the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff, where he focused… more

U.S. Strategy Towards Iran

Communications — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 10:37:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/14/2006 - 10:15am

President Bush is likely to face in the not too distant future a “bleak binary choice” regarding Iran that juxtaposes two fundamental options that have profound geostrategic consequences. The first of these is to launch a military operation against Iran's perceived nuclear capacity, and the other is to acquiesce and adjust to Iran's eventual acquisition of nuclear weapons. These are the two framing options in the debate -- but concerned members of the foreign policy establishment are racing to construct… more

U.S. in the World

American Strategy — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 08:39:00 -0400

The U.S. in the World Initiative supports the work of advocates and experts who promote pragmatic, principled, constructive, and collaborative U.S. global engagement -- and who want to communicate that shared vision in a more effective and mutually reinforcing way.Through extensive cross-issue consultation and consensus building, the Initiative generates authoritative, research-based messaging guidance that helps… more