American Primacy: We’re #1, Now What?

The new president will face the challenge of developing policies to determine when, where, and how to assert American power in the unstable post-Cold War world. He and Congress together will need to determine the appropriate cost, composition, and role of the U.S. armed forces, the diplomatic establishment, and the intelligence community. And, like his recent predecessors, the new president will have to attempt to define a new long-term guiding principle for America’s role in the world, to replace the successful containment policy of the Cold War era.

A panel discussion will examine challenges that will face the new administration regardless of the election’s outcome. The panelists will also discuss the thinking and likely approaches of Vice President Gore and Governor Bush regarding America’s role in the post-cold war era, including relations with the major powers, arms control and missile defense, the use of economic sanctions, military spending, humanitarian intervention, and transnational issues.

This is the final forum in the Brookings election-year Priorities 2000 series. The goal of the P2K series is to encourage a serious and informed discussion of the most pressing issues facing the next president.