Foreign policy during the Cold War served as a model for the US for decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but recent years have shown increased dissatisfaction with US international leadership and alliance management—whether you look at Obama's reduction in US commitment to NATO, Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan, or Trump's sharp breaks with NATO and challenges to international trade. Is international leadership no longer central to US security and prosperity? Or do the costs of leadership simply exceed the benefits? Does the US need to reduce its international role and commitments, or is this reduced international footprint a mistake?

Join us for a talk with Frank Lavin (SAIS '90), where he will explore this question and other aspects of US foreign policy!

About the Speaker

Lavin served in the Reagan White House and National Security Council, the Bush 41 Commerce Department, and in the Bush 43 Administration, he served as US Ambassador to Singapore and Undersecretary for International Trade at the US Department of Commerce. In addition to his SAIS degree, he holds degrees from Georgetown (BScFS and MA Chinese) and Penn (MBA Finance). He discusses Cold War foreign policy in his latest book, Inside the Reagan White House.