Introductory Remarks

I WANT TO ADDRESS four primary issues regarding the crucial issue of how the United States engages with the rest of the world at the dawn of this new century: —The national security and economic case for American support for open markets around the world, —The case for supporting global economic development more directly, including through our support for the international financial institutions, —The generalized decline in support for global engagement in the United States and its implications for the quantity and quality of our global leadership, and —Some of the domestic political roots for this disengagement and what can be done about them. Let me say a few words about the broader context. This is, in many ways, a critical moment in our nation’s history. America is the world’s largest economy and strongest nation, with no single dominant competitor. At the same time, Americans are growing wary of global entanglements. Market ideas are in ascendancy. There is high regard for business and the rights of capital. But while successful investors are heroes, those at the bottom of the ladder still feel insecure. Internationally, the breakdown of empires and the absence of large power balances have made the world ripe for ethnic and nationalist conflicts.