Part of the Whole

I've been seeing more and more being written about the changing U.S. role in the world in recent decades. As the only superpower in the post-Cold War system, the United States has enjoyed the ability to act in its own self-interest without much cost. But decades of manipulation and meddling in other countries' affairs, along with its more recent antisocial behavior (rejecting Kyoto and the ICC) has stained its international image. In her book, The Idea that is America, Anne-Marie Slaughter points out that the world has certainly noticed our arrogance. The attitude of American exceptionalism has managed to squander much of the international empathy we received following the 2001 terrorist attacks. A 2007 Pew Research Center survey of global opinions revealed an “increasing disapproval of the cornerstones of U.S. foreign policy.” With a new administration entering the White House in less than a year, some are anxiously anticipating how this will affect America's foreign policy. Chances are, says The Economist, there will not be much of a change in our self-reliant approach. But the U.S. would be wise to reconsider its stewardship of power in anticipation of long-term global developments. Fareed Zakaria writes in his upcoming book, The Post-American World, that emerging powers such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) will ultimately force the U.S. to adapt its foreign policies amid unfamiliar economic, social and political dynamics. So why not begin now? Doing so will ultimately benefit the U.S. as well as the rest of the world. For there is much at stake (climate change, free markets, spreading democracy), and cooperation – rather than unilateralism - is crucial. It is time for the United States to once again function as part of the whole.