A well-crafted foreign policy is vital to a country’s economic and national security. It can create alliances to protect against threats that could threaten its sovereignty, help develop global trade and investment opportunities, and promote peace and security around the world.
But a country’s foreign policy is not simply an exercise in nation building; it is influenced by and interacts with the foreign policies of other countries in a complex international system. The decisions that are made in Washington can affect people thousands of miles away and have long-lasting consequences. The United States has the largest economy and the most powerful military in the world, giving it outsized influence on global affairs. That makes a clear and compelling foreign policy all the more important to its citizens.
The public is split on many of the issues that make up American foreign policy. The partisan gap has narrowed since 2021, when these questions were last asked, but remains substantial on several important matters including finding a solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, limiting Russia’s power and influence in the world, reducing foreign military commitments, and protecting American citizens abroad. Millennials, in particular, need to hear, in clear and accessible terms, why America’s engagement in the world is an important national security strategy. Not only does it allow the nation to respond quickly and effectively to crises far from its borders, but it prevents the creation of power vacuums that would necessitate a much stronger and more difficult response down the road.