The End of Arrogance

Weber and Jentleson put forward a powerful and provocative view of the coming frontiers for foreign policy - a global competition of ideas. Their arguments pose the right challenge to governments, corporations, and NGOs operating on a global stage, and provide practical advice for what to do about it. -- Janice Stein, Director, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto

Free-market capitalism, hegemony, Western culture, peace, and democracy—ideas that shaped world politics in the 20th century and underpinned American foreign policy—have lost their strength. Hegemony (benign or otherwise) is no longer a choice. The authors argue that in the 21st century the U.S. must rely on strategy, make trade-offs, and compete.

Free-market capitalism, hegemony, Western culture, peace, and democracy—the ideas that shaped world politics in the twentieth century and underpinned American foreign policy—have lost a good deal of their strength. Authority is now more contested and power more diffuse. Hegemony (benign or otherwise) is no longer a choice, not for the United States, for China, or for anyone else.

Steven Weber and Bruce Jentleson are not declinists, but they argue that the United States must take a different stance toward the rest of the world in this, the twenty-first century. Now that we can’t dominate others, we must rely on strategy, making trade-offs and focusing our efforts. And they do not mean military strategy, such as “the global war on terror.” Rather, we must compete in the global marketplace of ideas—with state-directed capitalism, with charismatic authoritarian leaders, with jihadism. In politics, ideas and influence are now critical currency.

At the core of our efforts must be a new conception of the world order based on mutuality, and of a just society that inspires and embraces people around the world.