STRATEGIC

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Strategic Choices for a Turbulent World: In Pursuit of Security and Opportunity
We do not endorse or recommend any of these three strategic
concepts and assume that the next administration will mix and match
policies as it deems fit.
Finally, at a time of deep partisan division, the report offers guidance
not only on which paths might be the most promising, but also
how to choose among various strategies. The report offers six criteria
that might guide decisionmaking, although no single consideration
will be determinative. These are: scrutinize assumptions, seize opportunities,
uphold commitments, play both the long and the short games,
align U.S. interests and values, and limit regret.
The report concludes that domestic political dysfunction is the
greatest obstacle to effective U.S. global leadership. A coherent international
strategy will be difficult to pursue without a greater degree
of domestic political consensus; a “grand strategy” is simply impossible.
Building domestic political consensus on the U.S. role in world
affairs would require bipartisan agreement to reconcile the competing
demands of domestic needs with the requirements of effective international
engagement. U.S. leaders would also need to break the political
deadlock between funding requirements for the desired degree of
international engagement and commensurate levels of taxation. On the
basis of such reconciliation, U.S. diplomacy, defenses, and alliance relationships
could be adequately resourced to support the chosen strategy.
The government could develop coherent plans to promote economic
growth, national security, and international engagement, as required
in a world where domestic well-being is inextricably linked to global
developments.
Without such political consensus, the United States will face
heightened risks.