This year, the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding. Since 1776, the country has grown from a fragile union of small, loosely connected states with a questionable future to a global superpower that wrote the rules for the world order. Throughout it all, the United States has had to navigate a challenging international environment. Looking back at that history, some of its responses have bolstered U.S. interests and values. Others have not. So which foreign policy decisions would top a list of the best? Which would top a list of the worst?
James M. Lindsay is the Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). A leading expert on U.S. national security and foreign policy, Lindsay has held senior roles at CFR and previously served on the National Security Council. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Empty Throne and America Unbound, and hosts the podcast The President’s Inbox. He holds degrees with distinction from the University of Michigan and Yale University.
