STRATEGIC

Foreword
ix
allies; to surrender or squander this advantage would be a catastrophic
strategic failure.
Finally, this report analyzes many external threats to the
United States. Yet the authors conclude that an internal problem—
domestic political dysfunction—is the greatest threat of all. No effective
response to any major problem, whether an international trade
deal, a major infrastructure project, a new weapon system, or a tax or
entitlement reform program, can succeed in the span of a two-year
Congress or a four-year presidential administration. Therefore, bipartisan
agreements must not only be forged, they must be sustained in
order to achieve meaningful, lasting results.
I hope this report will stimulate the long-range thinking and
bipartisan policy planning that will be needed to secure and sustain
America’s place in a turbulent world.
Michael D. Rich
President and Chief Executive Officer,
RAND Corporation