CNAS Capstone - Contested Commons: The Future of American Power in a Multipolar World

The global commons – sea, airspace, space and cyberspace – form the backbone of the international economy and political order in ways that few appreciate or realize.

The Contested Commons capstone report, authored by CNAS Fellow Abraham M. Denmark and Dr. James Mulvenon, provides an overview of the future of American power in a multipolar world. The authors advocate that the United States renew its commitment to the global commons by pursuing three mutually supporting objectives: build global regimes that preserve the openness of the commons; engage pivotal actors that have the will and ability to protect and sustain them; and develop the hard-power tools and capabilities necessary for the United States to defend the global commons.

This capstone is part of a larger edited volume, available for download here.