Foreign Policy in the Age of Ambiguity: How the Future Will Differ From the Past

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Carnegie hosted a roundtable event and panel discussion on the lessons offered by past experiences in the management of America 's global interests. The session examined whether the current organization of U.S. foreign policy around the War on Terror and democracy promotion is sustainable or whether a new set of concerns should be considered.

Panelists also looked at whether new international arrangements and reforms to existing international institutions are required and considered domestic factors that may drive future choices. Does the new environment mirror the Cold War in the apparent dichotomy between U.S. and anti-U.S. interests? Or are we entering an era in which it will be increasingly difficult to distinguish between allies and adversaries?

This panel discussion launched David Rothkopf's new book, Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power.

David Rothkopf, led the discussion, joined by Ambassador Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs; Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and author of The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century; and Moises Naim, editor and publisher of Foreign Policy.