From Policy to Practice

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent demise of communism have done very little to promote world-wide peace, let alone any semblance of stability in key areas across the globe. Winning the Cold War accomplished even less for the United States as it appears that the position it once held, that of a superpower, may be in jeopardy. As regional crises arise, the US struggles with efforts to determine not only whether or not to reply, but, specifically, in what manner, and, alone or in conjunction with others. More importanly, even determining vital US interests in the post-Cold War era appear to have assumed a vagueness not present during the days of bipolarity. From the struggle of democratization in Russia, to the debacles in Somalia and Bosnia, to strained relations with China and North Korea, the problem with policy formulation has, and remains evident for the US. Solving and/or diffusing these crises in and of itself is not the answer. The damage they have inflicted on to American leadership represents a much more fundamental problem — the inability of the US foreign policy establishment to fashion a policy for the US in the decades to come. In the short term, this failure has served to undermine US leadership and credibility in capitals around the world. US Senate majority leader Bob Dole (R-Kan) perhaps best expressed this frustration by stating: Unfortunately, our image and position abroad is on the same downward spiral as during the Carter years, when the United States was feared by none, respected by few and ignored by many. The bottom line is that America, under the Clinton administration, is abdicating American leadership at the United Nations, at NATO and around the globe.1