As I look around the world, having done business in most parts of it over the years, it is becoming clear that in order for us to grow our economy, to the extent necessary to address our current challenges, we need to reevaluate our economic, strategic and geopolitical relationships around the world, with a view to both growing and protecting our economy. In short, we need to reevaluate our foreign policy, with a priority placed on our own economic growth. This requires answers to two fundamental questions:
- To what extent do we want to engage globally, versus withdraw, and
- If we want to engage, in what way do we want to do that?
Just as we have a test for great leadership, we need a test, or at least a compass, to help us determine the extent of our engagement globally, and the nature of international relationships and strategic alliances. I believe the answer is: We should want long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships with nations and/ or regions, whose interests are aligned with ours, who share our core values and where the economic return on investment in the relationship, substantially enhances our economy. In order to determine where those relationships are, we can look at the following Engagement Criteria:
Economics
How important is the area of engagement to growing our economy? If the economic opportunities are large or essential, we must engage. If they are strategically essential to our competitors, we must engage.
Geography
How close to the U.S. physically is the area of engagement? If the nation or region is close to the U.S. – essentially in the Western Hemisphere – we must engage. Correspondingly, we must deter our competitors from engaging in our hemisphere.
Military
How important is the area of engagement in terms of protecting our economic and/or geopolitical interests? Wherever we have substantial economic or geopolitical interests at stake, we must be engaged or be prepared to engage militarily. Wherever our competitors have essential interests we must be at least fully vigilant.
Political
How aligned are our core values in the area of engagement? The U.S. is not, and should not be, the policeman of the world. Apart from protecting our economic interests and way of life, there is very little reason for us to be engaged politically in the affairs of other nations or regions, unless they share our core values and have called upon us to be engaged. Then an evaluation must be made with the fundamental question being: “What’s in it for us?”
With our Engagement Criteria in mind, let’s discuss several regions around the world and see what results we get. For purposes of this exercise, and to keep things focused and succinct, but recognizing that our interests in the world extend far and wide, and the interdependencies and intricacies are many, I have chosen five regions worth discussing to illustrate the principles articulated above: Middle East, China, Russia, Western Europe and Latin America.