Rethinking American Foreign Policy: Toward Realistic Multilateralism

The unilateralist policies of the Bush administration have alienated allies and eroded the influence that comes from the enormous military and economic power of the United States. This article argues that, under present conditions, when the cold war is over, when major threats to international stability come not from antagonisms between major states but from failing states, small state tyrannies, and the criminal activity of terrorists, and when the impact of an increasingly globalized economy is intensifying, a strong policy of multilateralism is in the national interest of the United States.