Speak Softly and Share the Big Stick

This year, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs released a report on “Foreign Policy in the New Millennium” based on their Survey of American Public Opinion and U.S. Foreign Policy, conducted between May 25 and June 8. The survey team collected responses from a national representative sample of 1,702 adults. Their results indicate that Americans are revising their views of U.S. leadership in the global community, expressing a desire for more cooperation and less reliance on military power.

Following a decade of war, Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with U.S. military engagements and accomplishments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The survey reflects a growing belief that the United States has reduced its pocketbook and overstretched its military for little gain. According to the report, approximately 70 percent of Americans believe the war in Iraq has “worsened U.S. relations with the Muslim World.” Seventy-one percent agree that the Iraq War should make nations think twice about using military force to control rogue states. Overall, Americans do not believe U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan were “worth it,” demonstrating an increasing belief of the limits of military power to achieve foreign policy goals.

The survey illustrates how Americans view the role of the United States with regard to various emerging challenges on the world stage. Recognizing the growing influence and importance of Asian markets, particularly the Chinese economy, they see themselves living in an increasingly multipolar world. While an 82 percent majority of Americans desire U.S. global leadership, only 61 percent believe the United States should assume an activist role in international relations. Rather, they want U.S. leaders to be more willing to make decisions through multilateral channels such as the United Nations, and to be more willing to collaborate with emerging powers, including China.

The report concludes that Americans want U.S. global leadership without dominance. For most survey respondents, such leadership begins with less reliance on military options. Sixty-eight percent of Americans support cuts to the defense budget, a 10 percent increase from 2012. Although 53 percent of Americans believe maintaining military superiority is “a very important foreign policy goal,” they increasingly believe the United States should reduce the number of bases abroad and pursue nonmilitary approaches to foreign policy problems whenever possible. Where American values and interests are clearly threatened, U.S. citizens are willing to use force, but even then they would prefer to work multilaterally and simultaneously explore diplomatic solutions.

The conditions of global life in the new millennium are changing American views of U.S. foreign policy. Americans desire a foreign policy that addresses strategic economic and security challenges while allowing the United States to lead the global community through collaboration, efficiency, and restraint.

Feature Photo: cc/Patrick Q