December 03, 2018

American Foreign Policy Could Use More Prudence

During George H. W. Bush’s single term in the White House, the Berlin Wall fell and Germany reunified peacefully, the Warsaw Pact dissolved, the Soviet Union crumbled and the Cold War ended. The American military ejected Manuel Noriega from Panama and liberated Kuwait from Saddam Hussein. The United States emerged as the world’s preeminent power after four decades of superpower standoff.

This outcome was the product of both long historical forces and key actors, including Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. But it was not inevitable.

As the world order shifted dramatically, George H. W. Bush steered the ship of state with experience, expertise and—though it launched a million gibes—prudence. America emerged from his tenure stronger than before, with its adversaries weakened or transformed. “I’m certainly not seen as visionary,” he wrote in his diary. “But I hope I’m seen as steady and prudent and able.” That oft-mocked prudence was key to Bush’s success.

Read the full article in The Atlantic.

  • Video
    • March 27, 2025
    Will Donald Trump Take Greenland by Force?

    Trump’s comments have raised alarms in Greenland, particularly after US Vice President JD Vance announced he would visit the island. Greenland is rich in minerals, and it’s st...

    By Jim Townsend

  • Podcast
    • March 26, 2025
    Turkey’s Democratic Downturn

    Turkish democracy has come under fresh assault as the Erdoğan government arrested the leader of Turkey's largest opposition party and the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, an...

    By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Kate Johnston, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş & Soner Çağaptay

  • Commentary
    • March 26, 2025
    Sharper: Russia and the Axis of Upheaval

    Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine served as a dramatic catalyst for strengthening the global axis of upheaval. To sustain its war effort, Russia has imported Iranian weapons a...

    By Charles Horn

    • Video
    • March 25, 2025
    How Drones in Ukraine Are Reshaping War

    Samuel Bendett, a senior adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security, joins The Cipher Brief to discuss the current situation of drones being used in Ukraine.Watc...

    By Samuel Bendett

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia