Summary

The Foreword, unlike the rest of this book, was written after the 2016 election. Haass states that the election of President Trump further calls into question what role the United States will play in the world. He also notes that the new President faces a multitude of foreign policy challenges.

The Introduction is a broad overview of Haass’s argument that the world is in disarray. This has occurred because the historic American-led world order is in decline. He states that “disarray” was a very intentional word choice, as it best reflects the conditions we face. The period immediate following the Cold War, most notably the successful international response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, was an optimistic time, with a series of indicators suggesting the world was better off than it had ever been. In hindsight, the First Gulf War has proved...