We need to figure out what America stands for in the 21st century — and have a foreign policy that reflects it

In this series, professionals provide advice for the next U.S. president. What do you want POTUS focused on? Write your own #nextpresident post here.

Dear Mister/Madame President, 

The world faces no shortage of crises. Europe is fracturing. The Middle East is burning. China’s economy is slowing and other emerging markets are in various stages of political and economic trouble. Low oil prices are producing panic in petro-states around the world. How you deal with the challenges these problems will create will determine much of your presidential legacy. Let me offer you a bit of advice.  

Start with the big picture first. We now live in a G-Zero world, one in which no one country is willing to do the heavy-lifting in response to the world’s growing number of problems. U.S. foreign policy influence is now on the decline, in part because taxpayers are tired of sending troops and money overseas to fight wars with no clear benefits for U.S. security or prosperity. That’s not going to change any time soon. In a perfect world, I’d tell you to be ambitious, to swing for the fences. But we don’t live in a perfect world, and bold action in today’s global environment—no matter how noble your intentions—may well provoke more problems than they solve.

This doesn’t mean the U.S. should simply retreat, but you’ll need to come up with a real, comprehensive vision of what America’s role in the world should be and align your foreign policy with that. Set priorities and stick to them. Your predecessors George W. Bush and Barack Obama had very different sets of foreign policy strengths and weaknesses, but they both lacked an overarching vision and too often seemed to be improvising. Just look to the Middle East to see how well that worked out. It’s no longer enough to have a great tool kit and a few smart ideas. We need to finally figure out what America stands for in the 21st century, and we need a foreign policy that reflects that, one that sets priorities and sticks to them. That starts with you.

As to specific policy proposals, I have a few. Latin America has been one of the America’s few foreign policy bright spots over the past couple of years. This is a testament to America’s strategic patience, a willingness to wait for the right political openings and then to go in big. We’ve seen this with both Cuba and Argentina in the Obama era. Recent political developments in Brazil and economic developments in Venezuela tell us that similar openings are coming in those countries. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal will get wrapped up this year, and you should aim to expand the agreement beyond Mexico, Chile, and Peru to the rest of Latin America, cementing a multilateral system of standards, diplomacy and intelligence that others can join; Brazil will be critical for this.

A few more ideas. Start paying attention to the impact of technology on politics and society—the changes it will bring will be faster and more destabilizing than anything we’ve seen before. That means that you’ll have to start engaging with many more non-state actors, including mayors, CEOs, NGOs, tech visionaries and key public influencers. States are no longer the only movers and shakers in the world, for better and for worse. Ignore them at your own peril.

When it comes to the Middle East, stay as far away as you can—easier said than done, of course. You also need to be there for America’s allies in Asia. Asia, the most economically dynamic and geopolitically complicated region in the world, will be critical to America’s foreign policy future. And don’t forget about Europe, Germany first and foremost (sorry UK). Angela Merkel will need all the help she can get keeping the EU together and afloat, especially as the refugee crisis rages on. She’s probably not going to get that support from her fellow European leaders, who will be dealing with swelling nationalist and anti-EU sentiment in their own countries. The United States can make a real difference here, and a strong Europe is very much in America’s long-term interests, even if the trans-Atlantic partnership is not as strong as it once was.

It’s true that America is no longer the world’s policeman, but if you play it smart, it can be a model for how free, democratic and prosperous countries should act in our 21st-century global order. That’s a goal worthy of a U.S. president.

More posts on this topic:

• “This Isn’t Crying Wolf: Machines Will Take White-Collar Jobs During the Next Administration”— Martin Ford, author of "Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future"
• “The Next Big Industry That No One Knows About (Not Even the Future President)” — Suzy Welch, business journalist, television commentator
• “Technology — Not Taxes — Can Solve America's Higher Ed Crisis” — Anant Agarwal, CEO at edX, Professor at MIT
• “I Don't Believe in Federal Miracles, But Here's What the Next POTUS Can Do” — Bruce Katz, inaugural centennial scholar at The Brookings Institution
• “Like Any New Boss, the Next President Will Need to Build a Great Team — and Trust” — Joel Peterson, Chairman, JetBlue Airways
• “America's Healthcare System Needs This from the Next President” — Deepak Chopra, Founder, Chopra Foundation