Article in the New Issue of the National Interest

I argue in the new issue of the National Interest (pp. 39-46) that it’s misguided to analogize today’s geopolitics to the 1930s or the Cold War, concluding:

If the world is neither revisiting the interwar period nor embarking on a sequel to the Cold War, where exactly is it heading? There is no shortage of answers: a new era of U.S. preeminence, Chinese preeminence, a U.S.-China “G2,” multipolarity, regional spheres of influence, nonpolarity and a vacuum in order are just a few that observers have offered. Perhaps the most accurate answer is also the most banal: it is hard to say. While the postwar order is eroding, there is no readily apparent replacement in the offing.

I greatly appreciate Jacob Heilbrunn’s giving me the opportunity to share some thoughts, and I’d welcome any and all reactions you might have ([email protected]).