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*"At this moment, the United States has a unique opportunity to push forward a vision that aligns its own interests and ideals with those of most of the world's major powers. But it is a fleeting opportunity," Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria writes in the December 8 cover, "How to Fix the World" (on newsstands Monday, December 1).
Zakaria argues that before last week's terror attacks in India, the subject of foreign policy had disappeared, overshadowed by the economic crisis.
For foreign policy to receive the appropriate attention, we must hope that President Obama "does more than select a good team, delegate well, and react intelligently to the problems he will confront. He must have his administration build a broader framework through which to view the world and America's relations with it -- a grand strategy," Zakaria writes. This is a rare moment in history, when a more responsive America could help bring stability, prosperity and dignity to the lives of billions of people.
"At this time and for this man, there is a unique opportunity to use American power to reshape the world. This is his moment. He should seize it. Grand strategy sounds like an abstract concept -- something academics discuss -- and one that bears little relationship to urgent, jarring events on the ground. But in the absence of strategy, any administration will be driven by the news, reacting rather than leading," Zakaria writes. "The creation of Obama's grand strategy will need to start with an accurate appraisal of the world and the worrying aspects of the new international order, including competition for resources like oil, food, commodities and water; climate change; continued terrorist threats; and demographic shifts. These changes are taking place at every level and at great speed in the global system," Zakaria writes. "Such ferment is usually a recipe for instability. Sudden shifts can trigger sudden actions -- terrorist attacks, secessionist outbreaks, nuclear brinkmanship." (source: UnityFirst.com)