Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America's House in Order.

• Author: Evans, Travis
• Position: Book review

Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America's House in Order

Richard N. Haass

New York: Basic Books, 2013, 208 pp.

For the better part of a decade, the United States has been mired in mediocrity, settling for what feels like a new normal of low economic growth, stagnant wages, political intransigence, and an unending war or terror. Many think America's better days are behind it. Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, disagrees. In Foreign Policy Begins at Home, Haass attempts to reverse American defeatism and assuage fears of American decline, arguing instead that the United States is simply underperforming, suffering from "American made" problems that can be corrected by restoring the "foundations of its power." He explains that America's true strength abroad comes from its strength at home, and if America is to provide global leadership it "must first put its house in order." While much of Foreign Policy focuses on policy prescriptions that would restore American strength, the true contribution of the book is its explanation of why such a strategy is needed.

Haass uses the opening chapters to convince readers that American leadership abroad is essential because, to Haass, it is the only option. Only America has the "capacity, habits, and willingness" necessary to lead in a nonpolar world in which the "potential for disorder is considerable." Other nations lack the ability, the desire, or both, to do so.

While Haass overstates the looming dangers of a nonpolar world, he correctly describes it as a forgiving place from America's perspective. Even after two prolonged "wars of choice," an economic crisis, and poor leadership and mismanagement from Washington, the United States holds considerable advantages over other nations: the strongest military, the largest economy, a stable political system, a commitment to the rule of law, and an abundance of natural resources--to name a few. And when you consider the difficulties facing other nations--the frailty of China's economy and political system, Russia's dependence on petrodollars, Europe's general economic malaise and disjointed structure, Japan's aging population, and India's corruption and lack of critical infrastructure--it is clear that a direct challenge to America is unlikely.

Haass is correct, the United States faces no existential threats. The countries often cited as potential rivals to America are more concerned with internal issues, and...