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A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism Paperback – 24 March 2020
by Jeffrey D. Sachs (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (247)
Edition: 1st
The American Century began in 1941 and ended on January 20, 2017. While the United States remains a military giant and is still an economic powerhouse, it no longer dominates the world economy or geopolitics as it once did. The current turn toward nationalism and "America first" unilateralism in foreign policy will not make America great. Instead, it represents the abdication of our responsibilities in the face of severe environmental threats, political upheaval, mass migration, and other global challenges.
In this incisive and forceful book, Jeffrey D. Sachs provides the blueprint for a new foreign policy that embraces global cooperation, international law, and aspirations for worldwide prosperity-not nationalism and gauzy dreams of past glory. He argues that America's approach to the world must shift from military might and wars of choice to a commitment to shared objectives of sustainable development. Our pursuit of primacy has embroiled us in unwise and unwinnable wars, and it is time to shift from making war to making peace and time to embrace the opportunities that international cooperation offers. A New Foreign Policy explores both the danger of the "America first" mindset and the possibilities for a new way forward, proposing timely and achievable plans to foster global economic growth, reconfigure the United Nations for the twenty-first century, and build a multipolar world that is prosperous, peaceful, fair, and resilient.
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Follow the author
Jeffrey D. SachsJeffrey D. Sachs
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A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism Paperback – 24 March 2020
by Jeffrey D. Sachs (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (247)
Edition: 1st
The American Century began in 1941 and ended on January 20, 2017. While the United States remains a military giant and is still an economic powerhouse, it no longer dominates the world economy or geopolitics as it once did. The current turn toward nationalism and "America first" unilateralism in foreign policy will not make America great. Instead, it represents the abdication of our responsibilities in the face of severe environmental threats, political upheaval, mass migration, and other global challenges.
In this incisive and forceful book, Jeffrey D. Sachs provides the blueprint for a new foreign policy that embraces global cooperation, international law, and aspirations for worldwide prosperity-not nationalism and gauzy dreams of past glory. He argues that America's approach to the world must shift from military might and wars of choice to a commitment to shared objectives of sustainable development. Our pursuit of primacy has embroiled us in unwise and unwinnable wars, and it is time to shift from making war to making peace and time to embrace the opportunities that international cooperation offers. A New Foreign Policy explores both the danger of the "America first" mindset and the possibilities for a new way forward, proposing timely and achievable plans to foster global economic growth, reconfigure the United Nations for the twenty-first century, and build a multipolar world that is prosperous, peaceful, fair, and resilient.
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Review
A challenging departure from the Beltway assumption that America has acted as a force for good in the world.-- "Financial Times"
A worthwhile read, in which Sachs demonstrates expertise on vastly different policy fields and makes a convincing case that abdicating the toxic intersection of militarism and exceptionalism is key to building a brighter future, both in the U.S. and around the world.-- "Global Policy"
Forceful and angry, Sachs verges on hyperbole in his indictment of America past and present, but he does highlight the perils of continuing on the same path.-- "New York Times Book Review"
Highly recommended.-- "Choice"
His new book is entitled A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism, and there is much inside to be celebrated. I never thought I would utter the words "I agree with Jeff Sachs," let alone put them in print, yet here we are.-- "American Conservative"
Jeffrey Sachs is one of the few prominent American academics who dares to make the bold case that the US has been on the wrong track for decades. Its non-academic style makes this book accessible to any reader who wants to gain a broad understanding of what is driving American grand strategy-- "International Spectator"
Sachs provides a broad alternative vision not only to the Trump administration's foreign policy, but to past U.S. foreign policy more generally.-- "LSE Review of Books"
About the Author
Jeffrey D. Sachs is University Professor at Columbia University and serves as Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development and professor of health policy and management at Columbia University. He is a New York Times best-selling author, and his books include The End of Poverty (2005), Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (2008), The Price of Civilization (2011), To Move the World: JFK's Quest for Peace (2013), The Age of Sustainable Development (Columbia University Press, 2015) and Building the New American Economy (Columbia University Press, 2017).
Product details
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Publication date : 24 March 2020
Edition : 1st
Language : English
Print length : 272 pages
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From other countries
- Dr Zhu WeiguangReviewed in Singapore on 11 May 2025
Highly valued book
Very good book, American should be one member of world community, no exceptist. - jediklonReviewed in Spain on 30 March 2025
Excelente!
Da una visión 'alternativa' de cómo deberíamos Europa responder a la situación de conflicto con Rusia. - Dr. Rüdiger TessmannReviewed in Italy on 24 November 2024
A new Foreign Policy
Tanta gente in Italia e nella Germania sperano per un cambiamento della politica esterna degli USA.
Esistono anche tanti libri ed articoli che desiderano una politica meno bellicoso e meno russofobo. Ma, purtroppo non hanno niente influsso alla politica pratica, guidata da Washington con la convinzione del exceptionalismo. Jefray Sachs ha ragione, ma e` isolato.-Purtroppo!. - David LindsayReviewed in the United States on 8 January 2019
A Good Overview of American Foreign Policy
Jeffrey Sachs is an economics professor at Columbia University. His book explains U.S. foreign policy since 1945 and advocates a nicer, kinder America going forward. A New Foreign Policy is well written and an unlikely page-turner. Sachs believes that the defining characteristics of the U.S. approach to the world since 1945 have been “American exceptionalism” and relentless war. The focus on military might and the pursuit of primacy has embroiled us in unwise and unwinnable wars. Sachs believes that exceptionalism is a "dangerous illusion." He wants the U.S. to change its approach to the world and make global cooperation the unifying principle of our foreign policy.
Sachs argues that we were once an economic colossus, but over time other countries have caught up. For all the current strength of the American economy, the country now lacks the economic clout to bend the world to its liking. Our share of world output was 30% in 1950, it is about 15% today. The U.S. is no longer the economic powerhouse it once was. The U.S government has debt of $22 trillion. The debt/GDP ratio is 106%, it was 25% in the 1970s. Ken Rogoff, a Harvard economics professor, has advised that 90% should be the limit for a well-run economy. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq cost $6 trillion. Sachs argues that tax cuts and defense spending since the Reagan era have been paid for with increased borrowing. In reality, the cost has been deferred and future generations will pick up the tab The U.S. can't really afford another major war. An arms race with China would also be a mistake. The U.S. has probably reached what Yale history professor Paul Kennedy called imperial over-stretch. Sachs argues that the Washington foreign policy establishment is in denial and it does not accept that America’s place in the world is changing.
Sachs identifies four main strands of thinking in American foreign policy:
Group 1: The Imperialists. Their world view is based on an American Empire model using a carrot and stick approach. America is number one and it plans on staying that way. It insists on military dominance, not just deterrence. It wants to remain a global hegemon, forever. The U.S. has 800 bases around the world, in 70 countries. America’s potential adversaries are usually viewed as evil (e,g., Putin, Kim, ISIS, Assad). For decades the U.S. has forcibly overthrown regimes it considers hostile to its interests, usually in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The U.S. encourages democracy and is a benign and generous overlord providing the satellites in its orbit play by its rules (e.g., Germany, Japan, and South Korea). The flip side is that potential rivals are viewed as a threat. In the past, Britain (1940s and 1950s), Japan (1980s), and Russia (1990s) have been stomped on when they behaved in a manner the U.S. disapproved. Currently, we seem to be unhappy with North Korea, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Germany, Yemen, China, and the EU. Trump will issue the occasional threat as he attempts to bring them into line.
Group 2: Benign Imperialism. Like Group 1 but more touchy-feely. They believe that the U.S. is an exceptional country and uniquely virtuous and this gives it the right to rule the world. The U.S. is the indispensable nation and nobody else has the required wisdom and expertise to lead. God is on our side because wealth is a sign of God’s providence. The president is the leader of the free world and is like a good shepherd protecting his flock. They believe that America has acted as a force for good in the world and has given the West peace and stability. If America wasn’t running the show the jungle would grow back and bad people, like ISIS and Putin, would take over. This is basically the version of America that Hollywood sells to the world. We are the good guys and the president is tough, fair, and wise (e.g., Michael Douglas, Martin Sheen).
Group 3: Trumpism. Sachs believes Trump is a nationalist and unilateralist. Sachs dislikes President Trump with a passion. Sachs argues that Trump’s “America First” ideology is “a variant of exceptionalism, adding xenophobia, racism, and protectionism to more traditional exceptionalist approaches.” Trump seems to have concluded that the U.S. can no longer afford to be a global hegemon. He also seems to believe that his predecessors were naive and the U.S. is being ripped off by the rest of the world. Trump attacks freeloaders and trade cheats who exploit U.S. friendship. Trump also believes that illegal immigration is a problem that must be addressed. Sachs shows that the population of the West is in relative decline, while the population of the rest of the world is growing rapidly (e.g., the population of Nigeria is forecast to increase from 190 million to 900 million by 2100). Trump wants to limit Third World immigration to the U.S. Sachs also wants to limit immigration, but he would do it in a more PC way.
Group 4: Sachs calls this Internationalism. He believes that current U.S. Foreign policy is unsustainable. Sachs takes a much less benign view of the use of U.S. power in the 20th century. He argues that the U.S. has been constantly at war since 1945, with the CIA operating as the president’s secret army. Sachs lists the regimes the U.S. has changed since 1945. He does not believe that the U.S. has the right to overthrow governments that it disapproves of. He argues that China now has a bigger economy, it is 24% larger in real terms. Going forward it won’t be bullied and the U.S. will damage itself if it tries. He believes that big global problems like global warming can only be solved with peaceful cooperation between nations. Sachs believes in globalism and wants the U.S. to comply with international law and work with the UN. He believes that the U.S. risks becoming a rogue nation.
Sachs makes a lot of interesting points and I found this book very educational:
• Sachs advocates working with other countries and the UN to help solve the world’s problems. He quotes Deuteronomy and the Gospels and suggests, more or less, that we should love our neighbors as ourselves.
• He wants to help the global poor. He believes that the U.S. aid budget at 0.18% of GDP is too small. Britain and Germany give 0.7%.
• Sachs wants to build a multipolar world that is prosperous, peaceful, fair, and resilient.
• He’s a fan of FDR and JFK who liked multilateral institutions. He wants us to follow their lead. FDR created the UN and the other Bretton Woods institutions.
• He is appalled by Trump’s America First policies and believes that his unilateralist policies and bullying are alienating friends and foes alike. He believes that this poses a threat to our national interest. President Macron of France recently stated that the EU needed an army to protect itself from Russia, China, and the U.S.
• Sachs believes that global warming is a serious problem that must be addressed. He is angry that Trump and most Republicans dispute the science.
• He wants us to pull out of the Middle East. He believes that we have made a terrible mess in the region and our military presence is now counterproductive.
• As of 2014, U.S. multinationals had outsourced 1.5 million jobs to China and Mexico. This amounts to just 1% of the U.S. labor force. Manufacturing jobs only employ 8% of the workforce, down from 25% in 1970. Sachs believes that eventually all manufacturing jobs will be replaced by machines. He suggests that trying to bring back manufacturing jobs may be futile.
• Sachs claims that Trump wants to cut foreign aid and the UN budget. In total these represent 0.2% of GDP which is peanuts in the scheme of things. Sachs argues that this funding provides significant soft power and it would be a PR disaster if it was cut significantly.
Sachs believes that Russia has good reasons to be hostile to the U.S. Sachs was an adviser to Gorbachev and Yeltsin during the 1990s. He was able to observe American foreign policy up close, from the other side of the table. He suggests that George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Albright treated Russia as an enemy and did not invite it to join the West, which is what Gorbachev and Yeltsin wanted. He suggests that the military-industrial-intelligence complex still needed an enemy. NATO expanded eastwards despite the assurances given to Gorbachev that it would not happen. George Kennan told Bill Clinton in 1997 that his anti-Russian policies wound restart the Cold War. Russia lost 40% of its GDP. Russians felt humiliated and then elected a strongman (i.e., Putin) to stand up to the West. Putin has responded by attacking Georgia and Ukraine and cozying up to China. Putin demonstrated to Russians that he won’t be pushed around and appears to be popular. A New Foreign Policy is a thought-provoking read.32 people found this helpful - Eight TreasuresReviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 May 2025
Well written
I just started reading and find it interesting already. - Amazon CustomerReviewed in Mexico on 25 July 2024
Brave, insightful and honest
I am pleasently surprised to see an economist as well read and educated on International Relations in general and American Foreign Policy in particular. I considered myself something of an expert on the topic, but I am actaully learning a lot from this book. Definetely worth getting. - JSReviewed in Canada on 8 October 2024
A Guiding Voice for the U.S. in Turbulent Times
Dr. Sachs embodies the conscience of the United States, and it’s vital to heed his insights and perspectives! If we fail to learn from history, we are doomed to repeat past mistakes. The United States cannot maintain its hegemony indefinitely; even the Roman Empire eventually fell. - Mr Frank BruceReviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 December 2022
How to fix US foreign policy
Jeffrey Sachs explains how essential changes in US foreign policy have the power to redeem America and benefit the whole of the world community. - David HillstromReviewed in the United States on 6 December 2018
Jeffrey Sachs on Fireign Policy
Jeffrey Sachs, renowned economist, has done something unimaginable. He has written a book on US foreign policy that is knowledgeable as well as candid and honest. For an academic of his stature to produce such an open and factual critique of US policy is indeed a courageous undertaking.
For those of us with a keen interest in foreign affairs Professor Sachs new book, Toward a New Foreign Policy / Beyond American Exceptionalism, is a most welcome gem. He acknowledges what a small minority of concerned citizens and a growing chorus of foreign people and pundits have known for quite some time. US foreign policy is aggressive, militaristic and very frequently crosses the line to crimes of war.
He makes a crucial argument to distinguish between wars of necessity and wars of choice. Most of the conflicts the US has been engaged in since WWII have been wars of choice. They were not essential to national security. Rather they were choices made with the intent to influence the global geopolitical status quo. The US tends to choose conflict over diplomacy and negotiation. He demonstrates such analyses through the Vietnam conflict and through recent conflicts in the Middle East.
Such views are rarely, if ever, heard through the media. And equally these views are rarely expressed by prominent professors, with the exception of Chomsky of course. So, Professor Sachs has indeed shown commendable courage. One can only hope that his message will be widely read and appreciated. Hopefully he will not be shunned and relegated to ‘romantic’ status to become a marginal voice like the rest of us discontents.
My recommendation is simple. Please read this book. Think through what Sachs is saying. Don’t reject his analysis because it is contrary to usual story lines. Everything he says is well documented and factual. There is nothing exceptional about the US as a nation. It has conducted policy from the very beginning as an aggressor, from the genocide of Indian tribes to Manifest Destiny, to today’s imperial quest.
I have only minor criticisms of the book. The first is what I have already expressed, that readers will reject an unfamiliar opinion as wrong and unpatriotic. My second issue is that, while Sachs presents the historical facts over the decades and does not shy from taking sequential Presidents to task, he is overly kind to JFK. In this favoritism he is, I think, mistaken. Finally, as an economist Sachs reflects upon the link between economic and foreign policies. To be sure US economic policy is equally flawed. However, I fear that Sachs’ views on economic policy are too evidently liberal. So, here again I fear his message on foreign policy may be dismissed by virtue of his partisan sounding views on the economy.
In summary this book is a must read and Sachs’ analysis on foreign policy is a must consider and reflect.11 people found this helpful - Giorgio DallatanaReviewed in Italy on 27 October 2021
Dirty delivery
The book presents good themes etc ... but when I opened the box this morning, the book was sticky and a little bit dirty! This is probably the only case in which judging a book by its cover is totally appropriated.
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- philosophy1Reviewed in Canada on 30 June 2022
Anti-Trumpism Is Tiresome
Just beginning to read Sachs" book and expect to find this offering as intelligent and thoughtful as he usually is; but the anti-Trump diatribes are not only tiresome , as the book opens with many of these, but invalid for the most part because Sachs' premise about "American exceptionalism", etc. is understandable but questionable; he unfairly blames Trump by mischaracterizing such a policy as "America First" when Trump had every good reason to argue that populist position and at the same time maintained friendlier relations with most countries than ever before; so what do we have today, Mr. Sachs? nothing less than "America Last" in just about everything! - AAAReviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 April 2025
A great book by an international thought leader
One of the best commentators on modern American politics and the rising international crises. This book, and his tens of appearances in lectures, discussions and debates, puts him at the top my go to political commentators of our time. - Emanouil BliasReviewed in Canada on 3 March 2023
Book with good explanations
This book should be read by every American. Regardless of whether he/she agrees or not. - Julian E. GasparReviewed in the United States on 6 March 2025
No false narratives!
Professor Sachs is a gem. Honest and diligent strategic analyst. - HarryReviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2025
Common sense
Among the higher echelons of government common sense is not common. It should be mandatory for those aspiring to power to read Jeffrey Sachs’ books and relfute the advice contained if they can. - Highland SchtroumpfReviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 April 2025
Wonderful book
Packed full of history not previously known to me, giving context to current geopolitical turmoil. Highly insightful, highly recommended - Don BaylesReviewed in the United States on 13 October 2018
Excellent book! Provides fresh thinking for change in U.S. foreign policy direction
This is a rather short (219 pages) , but content-rich book with new thinking and ultimately hope for a better path forward in international relations.
A painful survey of American efforts at regime change as a substitute for constructive diplomatic engagement is offered. If one thought the endless war in Afghanistan was an exception to our instinctive decency, historical clarification is provided. We have been picking up arms and replacing leaders for decades.
The prediction of ill consequence to allowing the arms industry to dictate defense policy, a fear expressed by President Eisenhower, is placed in sharp focus. The route we followed as Americans in shutting the door on non-Europeans for most of our national existence is explained. How "America First" as a policy guide is actually boosting China's forward motion is carefully laid out without invective. Our identity as a rogue nation- a country which has not ratified a United Nations treaty within a generation- is fully documented. The reader gets a sense of how we are really viewed through an international lens. This is an important book-- it offers new thinking, objective assessments and finally yields inspiration for transformational change in our dealings with other countries. I am buying another copy and giving it away.11 people found this helpful - Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 March 2025
This is one of the best ways forward for the World
Jeffrey Sachs writes an immensely readable guide to foreign policy for ALL countries of the world. World leaders - politicians, diplomats, generals, billionaires, follow his recommendations now. Trump should too. - An AmericanReviewed in the United States on 4 September 2022
Very Important Book that those who should read it won’t
Professor Sachs hits another home run with this very important book about US geopolitics. Unfortunately, his candor is not appreciated by those in positions of power or even the media that spins the mainstream propaganda of the government.
So much could and should have been avoided especially in Ukraine if only diplomacy was applied. Instead, a totally misguided approach was adopted and now we suffer the consequences. The blame game with Russia is getting stale. Real world leadership demands much more than what we’re getting and Sach’s book shows us what we’re missing. A must read for anyone who really cares about the direction of US foreign policy. This especially applies to the policy and decision makers in DC. But, sadly they won’t because war is too profitable to give peace a chance. Sorry John Lennon you were right on.6 people found this helpful - GRKReviewed in the United States on 11 September 2024
It is like a new book!
I am very happy with the book!One person found this helpful
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