Thread by @djrothkopf

The secret to reimagining US foreign policy going forward is that we abandon the false and failed constructs of American exceptionalism or even being a superpower or the leader of the free of world.

Instead we must view ourselves as a leader among the world's leading nations, a member of the global community advocating for the values in the governance of that community that are in our common interest.

Naturally, advancing and protecting our national interests comes first. But we must start to better and more fully embrace the idea of the interdependence of nations and to find our role within that context.

We must also recognize that we have been adrift since the End of the Cold War & that during the last 20 yrs our stature has faded, often done great damage by us. It is a time for rebuilding credibility, trust & crucial relationships by demonstrating reliability & positive values.

We need to recognize that not only was much of our self-image myth, that we were often not who we said we were, but that in recent years our embrace of torture, illegal wars, our failure to stand up for our friends, our corruption & compromised democracy at home, has damaged us.

We need to reimagine and rebuild. But that does not mean we have to set aside values or ideas we have long promoted. We need international institutions. We need to promote a world of laws. We benefit from that and must invest in the renewed promotion of those concepts.

Evolution in our idea of global governance, in the priority issues for our institutions and alliances is essential. But so too is returning to core truths that have endured...and remained elusive in practice...since the Enlightenment.

Our greatness will depend not only on our strength and prosperity but on the greatness we see, embrace and cultivate in others. We must be of the world we help shape rather than above it or exempted from any of its rules.

For the Biden Administration, after the failures of Trump and Bush and the faltering and missteps and halfway measures of Obama, even a recalcitrant Congress should not stop from beginning the work of this reimagining and restoration.

In fact, 30 years after the Cold War, we're due for a rethinking. Fortunately, I believe the Biden team now forming recognizes this need & is up to it & I also believe they realize it is a job that we cannot do alone, but rather must be a collaboration with our friends worldwide.

Few priorities are more important. And I will admit that while this is a massive task, the work of several generations, that once again I am hopeful it can be undertaken and achieved.