After the Cold War

This research paper examines the current international environment and how shifts in centers of power since the end of the Cold War affect the national security policy of the United States. The author examines the question of what role America, as the world's sole superpower, should play in international affairs in light of an apparently reduced threat to its security and the increasing competition for non-defense spending. This research establishes conceptual references on balance of power, anarchy, and hegemony, then reviews alternative national security strategies. This paper discusses the options the US might take-a return to isolationism, deferring to regional security arrangements, or assuming a global leadership role-now that the Cold War is over. The author assesses the direction and applicability of the current National Security Strategy for Engagement and Enlargement (NSSEE) and proposes a keystone vision for the US. The author concludes the US should retain a global leadership role in the international community to the maximum extent resources will permit. The US must resist neoisolationist pressures and not only remain engaged in all aspects, but lead the way economically and politically while maintaining the world's most powerful military as insurance for our national security. Finally, the author concludes the NSSEE provides appropriate direction for the US, but the support of the American public, upon which the NSSEE depends heavily, is insufficient due to the lack of public education and involvement in the national security process.