What Does "American Exceptionalism" Actually Mean for US Foreign Policy?

April 27, 2011, 12:00pm - 1:30pm

Foreign policy analysts in think tanks and academics in universities have long debated "American exceptionalism," but the term is now emerging in America’s political debates, most recently among some conservative critics of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy. What does the phrase “American exceptionalism” actually mean? How do ideas about America’s special role in the world shape foreign policy decisions on a range of current issues including the Middle East uprisings, relationships with emerging powers, climate change, and global economic policy? And how might the American exceptionalism debate play out in the 2012 presidential elections?

Please join the Center for American Progress for an in-depth panel to discuss these questions.