Joseph Nye (left) and Richard Armitage (right) with Center for Strategic and International Studies President John Hamre on Capitol Hill to discuss their "Smarter and Safer America" report.
Liz Lynch

"Nye/Armitage Report: Steps Toward Restoring U.S. Influence"

Newsletter Article, Belfer Center Newsletter

Spring 2008

Author: Michelle Weitzel

"America's image and influence are in decline around the world. To maintain a leading role in global affairs, the United States must move from eliciting fear and anger to inspiring optimism and hope." The 2007 report, "A Smarter and Safer America," prepared by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Commission on Smart Power, makes this message clear as it lays out foreign policy recommendations for presidential candidates one year ahead of elections. The commission is co-chaired by Richard Armitage, former deputy secretary of state, and Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor Joseph S. Nye, Jr., who serves on the Belfer Center's Board of Directors.

To reverse the deterioration of American influence and enhance national security, the report advocates complementing U.S. military and economic might with greater investments in soft power - a combination the authors call a "smart power" strategy.

The report recommends five areas where the United States should make critical adjustments to improve its global image.

• Reinvigorate alliances, partnerships and institutions
• Elevate the role of development in U.S. foreign policy to align United States interests with the aspirations of people around the world
• Win the "hearts and minds" of foreign populations through long-term, people-to-people relationships in the public diplomacy realm
• Encourage economic integration and increase the benefits of trade for all people
• Assume a leadership role in technology and innovation, specifically by addressing climate change and energy insecurity

The report also identifies obstacles that the incoming U.S. president will face in the development of a cohesive foreign policy that combines hard and soft power elements, including the high level of development of the Pentagon and Department of Defense and the compartmentalization of foreign policy instruments within the structure of the U.S. government.

"Since the shock of 9/11," Nye said, "the United States has been exporting fear and anger rather than our more traditional values of hope and optimism. Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo have become more powerful global icons of America than the Statue of Liberty. It is time for a smarter approach."

A copy of the report can be found at www.csis.org.

For Academic Citation:
Weitzel, Michelle. "Nye/Armitage Report: Steps Toward Restoring U.S. Influence." Belfer Center Newsletter (Spring 2008).