A New Foreign Policy
Beyond American Exceptionalism
Columbia University Press
A New Foreign Policy
Beyond American Exceptionalism
Columbia University Press
The American Century began in 1941 and ended on January 20, 2017. While the United States remains a military giant and is still an economic powerhouse, it no longer dominates the world economy or geopolitics as it once did. The current turn toward nationalism and “America first” unilateralism in foreign policy will not make America great. Instead, it represents the abdication of our responsibilities in the face of severe environmental threats, political upheaval, mass migration, and other global challenges.
In this incisive and forceful book, Jeffrey D. Sachs provides the blueprint for a new foreign policy that embraces global cooperation, international law, and aspirations for worldwide prosperity—not nationalism and gauzy dreams of past glory. He argues that America’s approach to the world must shift from military might and wars of choice to a commitment to shared objectives of sustainable development. Our pursuit of primacy has embroiled us in unwise and unwinnable wars, and it is time to shift from making war to making peace and time to embrace the opportunities that international cooperation offers. A New Foreign Policy explores both the danger of the “America first” mindset and the possibilities for a new way forward, proposing timely and achievable plans to foster global economic growth, reconfigure the United Nations for the twenty-first century, and build a multipolar world that is prosperous, peaceful, fair, and resilient.
In this incisive and forceful book, Jeffrey D. Sachs provides the blueprint for a new foreign policy that embraces global cooperation, international law, and aspirations for worldwide prosperity—not nationalism and gauzy dreams of past glory. He argues that America’s approach to the world must shift from military might and wars of choice to a commitment to shared objectives of sustainable development. Our pursuit of primacy has embroiled us in unwise and unwinnable wars, and it is time to shift from making war to making peace and time to embrace the opportunities that international cooperation offers. A New Foreign Policy explores both the danger of the “America first” mindset and the possibilities for a new way forward, proposing timely and achievable plans to foster global economic growth, reconfigure the United Nations for the twenty-first century, and build a multipolar world that is prosperous, peaceful, fair, and resilient.
Forceful and angry, Sachs verges on hyperbole in his indictment of America past and present, but he does highlight the perils of continuing on the same path. New York Times Book Review
His new book is entitled A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism, and there is much inside to be celebrated. I never thought I would utter the words “I agree with Jeff Sachs,” let alone put them in print, yet here we are. American Conservative
Highly recommended. Choice
A challenging departure from the Beltway assumption that America has acted as a force for good in the world. Financial Times
Sachs provides a broad alternative vision not only to the Trump administration’s foreign policy, but to past U.S. foreign policy more generally. LSE Review of Books
A worthwhile read, in which Sachs demonstrates expertise on vastly different policy fields and makes a convincing case that abdicating the toxic intersection of militarism and exceptionalism is key to building a brighter future, both in the U.S. and around the world. Global Policy
Jeffrey Sachs is one of the few prominent American academics who dares to make the bold case that the US has been on the wrong track for decades. Its non-academic style makes this book accessible to any reader who wants to gain a broad understanding of what is driving American grand strategy International Spectator
Preface
Introduction
Part I: U.S. Exceptionalism in a Changing World
1. From Exceptionalism to Globalism
2. Exceptionalism as the Civic Religion
3. The Era of Global Convergence
4. Eurasia on the Rise, America on the Sidelines
5. Russia-U.S. Relations in the Changing World Order
Part II: America’s Wars
6. American Imperialism and “Wars of Choice”
7. Contradictory Promises and a Century of Conflict in the Middle East
8. North Korea and the Doomsday Clock
9. Trump's National Security Strategy
Part III: U.S. Foreign Economic Statecraft
10. The Economic Balance Sheet on “America First”
11. Foreign Policy Populism
12. Economic War with China
13. Will Trump Hand China the Technological Lead?
14. Toward a World Economy of Regions
Part IV: Renewing American Diplomacy
15. From Diplomatic Leader to Rogue Nation
16. The Ethics and Practicalities of Foreign Aid
17. Managing Migration and Immigration
18. Achieving Sustainable Development
19. A New Foreign Policy for American Security and Well-Being
Notes
References
Index
Introduction
Part I: U.S. Exceptionalism in a Changing World
1. From Exceptionalism to Globalism
2. Exceptionalism as the Civic Religion
3. The Era of Global Convergence
4. Eurasia on the Rise, America on the Sidelines
5. Russia-U.S. Relations in the Changing World Order
Part II: America’s Wars
6. American Imperialism and “Wars of Choice”
7. Contradictory Promises and a Century of Conflict in the Middle East
8. North Korea and the Doomsday Clock
9. Trump's National Security Strategy
Part III: U.S. Foreign Economic Statecraft
10. The Economic Balance Sheet on “America First”
11. Foreign Policy Populism
12. Economic War with China
13. Will Trump Hand China the Technological Lead?
14. Toward a World Economy of Regions
Part IV: Renewing American Diplomacy
15. From Diplomatic Leader to Rogue Nation
16. The Ethics and Practicalities of Foreign Aid
17. Managing Migration and Immigration
18. Achieving Sustainable Development
19. A New Foreign Policy for American Security and Well-Being
Notes
References
Index
- Read an interview with the Los Angeles Review of Books
- Jeffrey D. Sachs discusses how to make foreign policy reflect economics with Bloomberg
- Watch a Facebook Live interview with Jeff D. Sachs about A New Foreign Policy
- Watch Jeff D. Sachs interviewed on BBC "Business Matters" podcast (at 5:00 minute mark)
- Watch Jeff D. Sachs on MSNBC "Morning Joe"
- Read an excerpt 'Exceptionalism in the Era of Trump'
- Institute for New Economic Thinking interviews Jeff Sachs about the end of American exceptionalism
- New Books Network interviews Jeff Sachs
- Vice talks with Jeffrey Sachs about his vision for an internationalist foreign policy
- Read a Q&A with The Nation
- Listen to Ray Suarez interview Jeff D. Sachs on this World Affairs podcast