LOS ANGELES ¨C As the United States stumbles through its economic challenges at home, the pressure of world events will not subside. But America¡¯s ability to address them has changed. Its fiscal weakness limits its ability to act as global policeman.
Despite the relatively costless overthrow of the Gadhafi regime, America¡¯s prolonged interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq have severely strained the public¡¯s tolerance for an active foreign policy.
Nonetheless, the U.S. seems destined to remain the world¡¯s most important actor for the foreseeable future. But today it is an actor without a script ¡ª it lacks a strategic guide comparable to the Cold War¡¯s containment doctrine to prioritize policy.
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