Shift in Global Balance of Power and the Role of the U.S.

At a recent Brookings event, Bruce Jones discussed his new paper, Largest Minority Shareholder in Global Order LLC: The Changing Balance of Influence and U.S. Strategy, and the evolving role of the United States in a new global order of developing democracies.

According to Jones, the increasing level of resources and diplomatic influence of newer players in the international stage constrains American power, although our nation remains the largest and most influential actor. There has indeed been a relative shift in the world’s balance of power, but debate should not center around whether U.S. influence is “up” or “down”; rather, the focus should be on what this shift means for the international system as a whole.