We are pleased to invite you to a luncheon discussion on the recently released book, Power and Superpower: Global Leadership and Exceptionalism in the 21st Century, published by the Center for American Progress and The Century Foundation.
The United States entered the 21st century as a global leader, emulated for its ideals as much as respected for its power to shape events. During the 20th century, American leadership served as the bedrock for the international order, promoting prosperity and peace both at home and abroad. But in the first years of the new century, a U.S. foreign policy exemplified by war in Iraq, the rejection of international treaties, and disregard for traditional allies gave the impression to many that the United States had abandoned its role as a responsible leader. Power and Superpower calls for a foreign policy that encompasses all of America’s strengths and respects the commitments we share with the rest of the world, the only sure path to America’s continued global leadership and influence. In this volume, some of the United States’ most distinguished and experienced policymakers and experts identify pressing foreign policy issues facing the United States and provide analysis and answers for creating a progressive foreign policy that harnesses power in support of a peaceful and prosperous world.
The panelists will discuss the themes of the book and explore how a sense of American exceptionalism informs U.S. foreign policy, the impact of those policies on U.S. national security, and whether a sense of exceptionalism in foreign policy is beneficial for the United States.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter, says that Power and Superpower is “A comprehensive review of the needed change of course in America’s global engagement-daunting in its scope and ambitious in its objectives.”
Thomas Pickering, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and Ambassador to the United Nations, says Power and Superpower is “An excellent series of wide ranging essays by some of our most experienced foreign policy thinkers. It will give a clear sense of why we are in such deep trouble, how we got there, and most importantly some trenchant thoughts on what to do about it. A must read for all who follow foreign policy closely.”
Anne Marie-Slaughter, Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, says “Power and Superpower is one-stop shopping for all Americans determined to get out country back on track. It offers an outline for a new American century that is genuinely consistent with American values—a century not of torture and terrorism, but liberty, democracy, and justice under law.”
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador James Dobbins, Director, RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center
Charles Kupchan, Professor of International Relations, Georgetown University
William Schulz, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Moderator:
Spencer P. Boyer, Director of International Law and Diplomacy, Center for American Progress