It’s easy to be pessimistic about the state of our country these days, but as McCormick explains, if the true test of a great country is its capacity for self-renewal, the United States of America stands apart. Our country has continually defeated grave threats and overcome domestic divisions when the odds have been stacked against us. That’s the American story, and we can do it again.Drawing on decades of leadership in business, the military, and government, McCormick issues a call for visionary, servant leadership and outlines a conservative agenda for American renewal that would expand access to the American Dream, ensure U.S. technological supremacy, confront China, and revive the restless, courageous, and indefatigable spirit that dwells within the American heart. This book is a must read for those who care deeply about the future of America. McCormick, a former candidate for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022, argues the path forward is treacherous and uncertain. It will undoubtedly test our resilience and place in the world. But if we commit ourselves to renewal, America’s best days are yet to come.

About the Author:

David H. McCormick is a proven business executive, combat veteran, and public servant. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest investment management firms, before pursuing a U.S. Senate seat in his home state of Pennsylvania in 2022. Prior to Bridgewater, he was the U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs and held senior posts on the National Security Council and at the Department of Commerce. From 1999-2005, David was the CEO and then President of two publicly traded software companies. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, a former Army officer, and a veteran of the First Gulf War. David holds a Ph.D. from Princeton’s School of Public Public and International Affairs, and previously served on the Defense Policy Board.

What should our global strategy look like in an age of renewed great power competition? And what must America offer to a newly empowered developing world when we’re no longer the only major player? Foreign policy expert Daniel Runde makes the case for renewed American engagement in the developing world for our own prosperity and security, but also because foreign assistance and other forms of soft power are largely where this competition is going to be contested.

The developing world has changed over the last several decades – it is richer, freer, and has a lot more agency. Russia and China can fill digital vacuums, trade vacuums, vaccine vacuums and infrastructure vacuums. The U.S. and our allies must offer a positive agenda that meets the needs and aspirations of partner countries. If this is not done, these countries will turn to Russia and China.

In The American Imperative (Post Hill Press, February 2023), Runde makes the case for building a new global consensus through vigorous internationalism and judicious use of soft power. He maps out many of the steps that we need to take––primarily in the non-military sphere––to ensure an alliance of stable and secure, like-minded, self-reliant partner nations in order to prevent rising authoritarian powers such as China from running the world.

This is the first book in decades to look at our non-military power through the lens of great-power competition. It calls for: supporting broad-based economic growth, supporting good governance and anti-corruption, long-term training, differentiating our approaches in middle-income countries and fragile states, 

and stronger U.S. leadership in the multilateral system.   In addition to Gen. McChrystal, others praising the book include John Bolton, H.R. McMaster, Elliott Abrams, Paul Wolfowitz, and Paula J. Dobriansky.

The book closes with a call for major fixes to the current system of soft power: the way we are organized, the “plumbing” issues, how we dole out monies, and personnel issues. We need a 20-year strategy for our soft power that works for both Republicans and Democrats, and that will also respond to the challenges of today.

About the Author

Daniel F. Runde is Senior Vice President and the William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Renowned as a global thought leader, he has been at the center of Washington debates on soft power and development for two decades. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at the World Bank Group and served in the Bush Administration at USAID (the U.S. Agency for International Development).  He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bretton Woods Committee, and previously chaired two U.S. federal advisory committees that touch on soft power.  He is a contributor to thehill.com and hosts a CSIS podcast series “Building the Future: Freedom, Prosperity & Foreign Policy.”