The Unilateralist Temptation in American Foreign Policy

Presented by David Skidmore, professor of politics and international relations and director of the Center for Global Citizenship at Drake University.

Despite the transition from Bush to Obama, unilateralism presents an ongoing temptation for American policy makers. As a global power, America’s propensity to go it alone threatens to undermine the very international institutions that are critical to solving those shared problems that threaten America and the world. What are the sources of unilateralism in the U.S. foreign policy? What kinds of political strategies might allow Barack Obama or future presidents to overcome the obstacles, at home and abroad, that continue to impede positive U.S. engagement with multilateral institutions?

Organized by ICIU.

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