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US-Role-In-the-World_CRS-R44891.69.pdf
U.S. Role in the World: Background and Issues for CongressDonaldTrumpAmericaFirstSpeech-2016-MayflowerHotel.pdf
Trump’s 2016 “America First” Foreign Policy Speech (Mayflower Hotel)Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf
National Security Strategy of the United States (2022)Public-opinion data on global trust in U.S. leadership, NATO, and the world order.
Pew Research – Global Attitudes on the U.S. and International OrderGlobal opinion resource on U.S. leadership, isolationism, and alliances.
Chicago Council on Global Affairs – Public Opinion LibraryThe post-World War Two world order has been structured around both formal rules in multilateral institutions and important standards for behavior, helping to prevent conflict and maximize global prosperity. Many of these norms and rules are under threat, however, as countries seek to gain advantage by undermining international institutions, taking unilateral aggressive actions against their neighbors, and attempting to create an uneven economic playing field.
Atlantic Council – International NormsRigorous body of nonpartisan analytical reports on: the future of the liberal international order, burden-sharing, retrenchment consequences, U.S. alliance networks.
RAND Corporation – U.S. Grand Strategy & the Liberal Order CollectionA deep, structured library on America’s role, global leadership, alliances, and strategic alternatives.
Carnegie Endowment – American Statecraft ProgramResource Link / Notes Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) -Gives a global, long-term data foundation on military expenditure, useful for arguing real-world trends when discussing alliances, U.S. share of burden, and global power shifts.
SIPRI Military Expenditure DatabaseAtlantic Council – Handles up-to-date, real-time data on defense spending by allies — great for illustrating “Are allies doing their part?” in the “America First” vs. “Alliances” debate.
NATO Defense Spending TrackerWar on the Rocks — Analysis / Commentary – Add more critical / realist perspectives — useful for balance and to encourage debate rather than presenting a single narrative.
Wrestling with Fog: On the Elusiveness of Liberal OrderWorld Bank military expenditure indicator offers alternate military-spending data to cross-check or complement SIPRI, good for deeper research or comparisons.
Global Military Expenditure DataAcademic restraint arguments — critical for discussion leaders to fairly represent non-interventionist positions.
Quincy Institute – Restraint / “America First”-Adjacent PerspectivesFull-length Great Decisions group lecture on multilateralism and the changing world order.
Group video: First United Methodist Church of Palo AltoU.S. Army War College
Group Video: Great Decisions 2026 – Modern Global Political and Economic OrderJason Brozek, Associate Professor of Government and Stephen Edward Scarff Professor of International Affairs at Lawrence University in Appleton.
Group Video: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy (Fond du Lac Public Library)Amilcar Challu, Associate Professor, Department of History
Group Video: America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy (Wood County Community on Aging)Examines the post-WWII liberal world order that underpins much of the debate about tariffs and trade policy.
Pax Americana: The Global Liberal Order (Foreign Policy Association)Explores the evolving U.S.–China relationship, including trade tensions, strategic competition, and policy drivers.
China, the U.S. & the Rise of Xi Jinping (Frontline)A moderated debate between scholars Kori Schake and Patrick Porter about the nature and legitimacy of the post-WWII liberal order. This is excellent for introducing the core theoretical debate central to Topic 1.
Is the Liberal World Order Liberal, and Is It Ordered? (IISS)Stephen Walt discusses how U.S. strategy might shift in response to global challenges, offering a measured critique of interventionist policies and a clear counterpoint to liberal internationalist approaches.
A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for a Realist Foreign Policy (CFR podcast)Longer form panel discussion on the evolution, strengths, and limitations of liberal foreign policy — directly relevant to understanding both historical context and contemporary debates.
Wilson Center: The Liberal Foreign Policy Tradition: Pluses, Problems, and ProspectsStephen Walt (again) articulates a pragmatic alternative to liberal internationalism, focusing on restraint and strategic realism without ideological polemic — useful for balanced discussion.
Chicago COuncil: Realism and Restraint: America’s New Foreign PolicyouTube video exploring the core debate
Great Decisions: American Foreign Policy at a CrossroadsChicago Council on Global Affairs
America First, World Second? The Future of US Global LeadershipU.S. Army War College: Great Decisions-related lecture by Prof. Carrie Lee
Lecture on U.S. Foreign Policy at a CrossroadRelated Great Decisions video covering similar content
Great Decisions: American Foreign Policy at a CrossroadsYouTube explainer on the “liberal international order”
Liberal International Order — Concept Explainer
Nonpartisan think tank focused on bringing scholarly insights to U.S. foreign policy and national security debates.
Nonpartisan organization dedicated to informal dialogue and policy exploration on U.S. strategic interests, often from a realist framework.
A major public policy think tank that produces research and commentary supportive of diplomatic engagement and the liberal international order. (Center-Left)
Focuses on ethics in global affairs, peace, and international cooperation. (Center-Left)
Advances policies aligned with the America First approach, emphasizing national sovereignty and skepticism of global intervention (Center-Right)
Provides timely analysis on foreign policy from perspectives that often lean toward strong defense and national interest prioritization. (Center-Right)
Libertarian think tank that emphasizes limited government, restrained foreign engagement, and skepticism of intervention. (Libertarian)
Libertarian public policy organization offering free-market perspectives on U.S. foreign policy and international engagement. (Libertarian)
Progressive think tank that analyzes U.S. foreign policy with a critical lens, emphasizing alternatives to military intervention and neoliberal frameworks. (Progressive)
Ikenberry’s full-length book setting out the history and logic of liberal internationalism—essential companion to your GD essay. Read more
Sharp realist critique arguing liberal hegemony overreached and provoked backlash; a serious, non-Trump critique of the liberal order. Read more
Short, accessible analysis of how Trump fits into the longer arc of U.S. foreign policy and what coherent strategy emerges. Read more
Argues that U.S. retreat under “America First” weakens both U.S. interests and the liberal order; very readable and concrete. Read more
Short historical overview from 1776 to the present—great for situating today’s debates in the longer story of isolationism vs. internationalism. Read more
Classic history of recurring U.S. foreign-policy “traditions” (isolationism, crusading idealism, realism) that underlie today’s America-First vs. liberal-order fight. Read more
Big but browsable; chapters on U.S. grand strategy, liberal order, and restraint that advanced participants can dip into. Read more
Contemporary liberal-internationalist strategy for a more multipolar world; useful for thinking about what a post-Trump, post-unipolar order might look like. Read more
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