‘Smart power’, an artful term to describe the blending of ‘hard’ (military force) and ‘soft’ (diplomacy) is a concept borne out of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Commission on Smart Power. . Whether you agree or not, they are presenting some points to rescue the US from its disastrous foreign policy guffaws.
Specifically, the United States should renew its focus on five critical areas:
# We should reinvigorate the alliances, partnerships and institutions that allow us to address numerous hazards at once without having to build a consensus from scratch to respond to every new challenge.
# We should create a Cabinet-level voice for global development to help Washington develop a more unified and integrated aid program that aligns US interests with the aspirations of people worldwide, starting with global health.
# We should reinvest in public diplomacy within the government and establish a nonprofit institution outside of it to build people-to-people ties, including doubling the annual appropriation to the Fulbright program.
# We should sustain our engagement with the global economy by negotiating a “free trade core” of countries in the World Trade Organization willing to move directly to free trade on a global basis, and expand the benefits of free trade to include those left behind at home and abroad.
# We should take the lead in addressing climate change and energy insecurity by investing more in technology and innovation.Leadership requires more than vision. It requires execution and accountability, two features in short supply in government today.
