First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World

A fresh, concise roadmap for U.S. grand strategy in a multipolar world

For the past thirty years, post-Cold War triumphalism and a desire to reshape the world have defined U.S. foreign policy. But the failures of the global war on terror, the return of conflict to Europe, and growing tensions with China all suggest that this approach to the world is flawed. For the United States--the country that has ruled the international system largely alone since 1991--this moment is particularly perilous. Can policymakers adapt American foreign policy to better fit the twenty-first century, and in doing so avoid the pitfalls and excesses of the past three decades?

In this book, Emma Ashford proposes a return to a more pragmatic, realist set of strategic principles, ones better suited for the emerging multipolar world, that would pursue narrower U.S. interests, cultivate the capabilities of friendly states, and emphasize room for maneuver over rigid alliances. In this she provides a valuable counterpoint to today’s liberal internationalist consensus, as well as a road map for policymakers who seek to change the course of U.S. foreign policy.

Emma Ashford is a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, where she is part of the Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy Program. She is also an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a columnist at Foreign Policy.