April 08, 2020
Now’s Not the Time for Isolationism
The coronavirus is a public health tragedy. If the United States isn’t careful, it could turn into a geopolitical one, too.
How the U.S. manages—or mismanages—the coronavirus pandemic will determine not only the long-term resilience of our economy but also our ability to compete, lead and protect American interests globally. If the United States continues to turn inward and focus most efforts on only limiting the damage done at home, the perception that U.S. power is in decline will continue to grow. Authoritarian powers like China will fill the leadership void, and eventually that perception will become reality. If, however, over the next weeks and months, the United States takes charge of organizing international collective action to combat the pandemic, the country could emerge as a respected global leader once again and, as such, be better positioned to safeguard its own national security. In this case, like so many others, helping ourselves requires working with and helping others.
Read the full article in POLITICO Magazine.
More from CNAS
-
Sharper: Axis of Upheaval
A loose but growing coalition between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea demonstrates that their combined strategic interests have the potential to pose significant economic...
By Anna Pederson
-
The Will and the Power: China’s Plan to Undermine Pax Americana
From Washington’s Farewell Address to Biden’s national security strategy, the core U.S. national interest, unsurprisingly, has not changed: to ensure the fundamental security ...
By Richard Fontaine & Robert Blackwill
-
Beyond China's Black Box
China’s foreign and security policymaking apparatus is often described as a metaphorical black box about which analysts know little. That is true to an extent, but at the same...
By Jacob Stokes
-
Sharper: Maritime Security
The importance of securing the maritime domain is rapidly increasing. From the South China Sea to the Red Sea, the U.S. and its allies are experiencing escalating challenges t...
By Anna Pederson & Charles Horn