America in a Changing World
The Steady State | by Robert F. Cekuta as published in FOREIGN ANALYSIS
As President Trump seeks to implement a new America First foreign policy, more is underway than just changes in priorities, areas of emphasis, or tone. Global actors are changing how they see their futures and how each interacts with one another to realize their own national security/foreign policy objectives. Thus, while the argument is often made that “America First should not mean America Alone,” this point has to be integrated into any changes Washington pursues. The U.S. cannot operate with complete disregard of others in pursuing American objectives. Like it or not, the U.S. has been, and will continue to operate in a multipolar world, and Administration policymakers need to take this reality into account.
President Trump has pursued tactics of surprise and disruption in U.S. foreign policy as well as in domestic affairs since the start of his second Administration. Among the ongoing themes is the belief that the international order has disadvantaged Americans and therefore urgent action is needed to reverse this situation to make Americans safer, more secure, and more prosperous.
Certainly, there are many facts arguing against this belief, but for purposes of this article it is best to accept that the President and his Administration are convinced of this assertion and will operate accordingly. This perception, however, runs into an ongoing reality, i.e., that the U.S. is one actor, certainly an extremely powerful actor, but still one actor among close to 200 countries and in a world in which non-state actors also play important, and sometimes even critical, roles.
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Ambassador (ret.) Robert Cekuta is a four-decade veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service whose postings included Berlin, Tokyo, Albania, and the Middle East as well as senior positions in State and Ambassador to Azerbaijan. He is a member of The Steady State.
Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 300 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.