Center for a New American Security

U.S. Must Strengthen Engagement with "Global Swing States" Brazil, India, Indonesia and Turkey, Say Experts in Joint CNAS-GMF Re

Washington, November 27, 2012 — The rise of four powerful democracies--Brazil, India, Indonesia and Turkey--presents one of the most significant opportunities for U.S. foreign policy in the early 21st century. Daniel M. Kliman of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and Richard Fontaine of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) urge American leaders to pursue closer partnerships with these four countries, which they term "global swing states." In a new report, Global Swing States: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Turkey and the Future of International Order, released today as part of a joint initiative of GMF and CNAS, Kliman and Fontaine offer a new framework for thinking about how U.S. engagement with these pivotal powers can bolster peace, prosperity and freedom.

Download Global Swing States: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Turkey and the Future of International Order

The authors offer policy prescriptions specific to each of the four countries while recommending that America's engagement with the global swing states include four broad components:

1. Capitalizing on areas where Brazil, India, Indonesia and Turkey have already taken on new global responsibilities;
2. Addressing some of the demands of the "global swing states" for greater representation in international institutions;
3. Helping  the four countries strengthen their domestic capacity to more actively support the international order;
4. Increasing the resources and attention that the U.S. government devotes to these nations to better match their rising strategic importance.

Kliman and Fontaine argue that "American decisions today will influence whether Brazil, India, Indonesia and Turkey contribute to the global order tomorrow."

In addition to this capstone report by Kliman and Fontaine, CNAS and GMF are publishing five working papers that explore how the global swing states relate to key elements of the international order and lay out implications for the United States and its European allies:

Global Swing States and the Trade Order by Jennifer Hillman, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, GMF

Global Swing States and the Financial Order by Joe Quinlan, Non-Resident Fellow, GMF

Global Swing States and the Maritime Order by James Kraska, Howard S. Levie Chair of Operational Law, U.S. Naval War College

Global Swing States and the Nonproliferation Order by Megan Garcia, Fellow, Hewlett Foundation

Global Swing States and the Human Rights and Democracy Order by Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution

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The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is an independent and nonpartisan research institution that develops strong, pragmatic and principled national security and defense policies. CNAS leads efforts to help inform and prepare the national security leaders of today and tomorrow.

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) strengthens transatlantic cooperation on regional, national, and global challenges and opportunities in the spirit of the Marshall Plan.