Book Review: A New Foreign Policy: Beyond Exceptionalism

A New Foreign Policy: Beyond Exceptionalism

Author: Jeffrey David Sachs (Editor)

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Publication Date: October 2018

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs is an American economist and public policy analyst, currently teaching at Columbia University. He is also a leader in the field of sustainable development research, serving as Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Jeffrey Sachs is a New York Times bestselling author with two books, The Age of Sustainable Development (2015) and Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair, and Sustainable (2017). A year later, A New Foreign Policy: Beyond Exceptionalism was published in October 2018, spanning 253 pages and structured into 4 major parts, divided into 19 smaller chapters.

American Exceptionalism

American Exceptionalism stems from the view that Americans have always considered their country to be a symbol of "excellence and exceptionalism." This exceptionalism suggests that native-born Americans are superior to other peoples, separates the country from the world, and self-proclaims the American model as the ideal model for other nations to follow. The 40th U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, famously described America as "a shining city on the hill," emphasizing the idea of America being separate from the world, bearing a special mission because the U.S. is an "exceptional" nation. When the Cold War ended, Americans awarded themselves the title "First among equals." Since then, U.S. foreign policy under the Clinton and later the Bush II administrations shared the common goal of maintaining America's sole superpower role, elevating the U.S. to global leadership, and promoting "American values" worldwide to secure benefits for their country. The exceptionalist mindset is not only reflected in the remarks of various Presidents; it is also rooted in America's historical, cultural, and religious traditions and continues to exist today. This American style of "exceptional" behavior causes the country to fiercely protect its economic power, military strength, and political influence, even if it means not hesitating to violate or withdraw from multilateral mechanisms and common rules when they conflict with U.S. interests.

Jeffrey David Sachs's View on "American Exceptionalism"

Through the book A New Foreign Policy: Beyond Exceptionalism, Jeffrey Sachs asserts that exceptionalism is an outdated ideology dominating U.S. decision-making, and President Trump's "America First" agenda is a populist and racist variant of this ideology. Sachs argues that the belief that Americans are inherently superior, that the U.S. is separate from the world, and that the American model is the one all others should follow is fundamentally flawed.

In the 21st century, when countries tend to join hands to build common peace and prosperity toward balanced, sustainable development, the U.S. foreign policy approach runs contrary to the values pursued by the international community. Sachs reasons that instead of continuing a policy that disadvantages both the world and the U.S. itself, the next President's administration should implement a new foreign policy that prioritizes sustainable cooperation to address urgent global issues like climate change and biodiversity loss.

Trump's "America First" policy—according to Jeffrey Sachs—is merely a new variant of the traditional exceptionalist doctrine, perhaps differing only in its more protectionist, ethnically discriminatory, and xenophobic approach. The author contends that this policy is a mistake for assuming that even as the U.S. withdraws from UN conventions and agreements and violates the principles of trade agreements, it can still maintain its military supremacy and global influence.

Regarding the National Security Strategy (NSS) and the National Defense Strategy (NDS), Sachs suggests that the NSS painted an overly bleak and pessimistic picture, while the NDS's goal of "maintaining preeminent defense status" is heavily colored by exceptionalism. The author does not deny that the world currently faces many instabilities—such as the prolonged war in Syria, the migration crisis in Europe, ISIS, and the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula—however, he argues that there are many prospects for cooperation between nations, and this is what should be of greater concern. Sachs argues that the U.S. should use its economic resources, power, and role to foster cooperation among nations instead of constantly intervening in the institutional and internal affairs of other countries and frequently violating international rules and norms. Regarding Russia and China, the author suggests that instead of continuing rigid policies, Washington should adjust, enhance cooperation, and avoid confrontation with these two nations—an approach that can only succeed by excluding exceptionalism.

Sachs's Recommendations for U.S. Foreign Policy in the Current Context

Sachs presents his perspective on a new U.S. foreign policy that is realistic and tied to the current context of the U.S. Specifically, the author does not believe that U.S. foreign policy should aim to make America the strongest or wealthiest country in the world. The goal of U.S. foreign policy should be to build security for the U.S. to ensure the happiness of Americans and to help the rest of the world.

To bring genuine security and prosperity to the American people, Sachs presents a set of 10 key arguments, urging the U.S. to:

1) Adhere to the United Nations Charter, as the UN remains the most hopeful organization for resolving conflicts and global issues.Recommit to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. The SDGs and the Paris Agreement are crucial for fostering global economic cooperation in the coming years. Increase the UN Budget. Annually, the U.S. contributes $600 million to the UN budget. The U.S. and other nations need to increase budget contributions to the UN because it is the most effective global organization for addressing child health (UNICEF), catastrophic diseases (WHO), hunger (FAO), and refugee movements (UNHCR).

1. Ratify pending UN treaties. Despite being a founding UN member, the U.S. is currently the most isolated country in the world. The number of unratified treaties is growing, including conventions on women, children, people with disabilities, the law of the sea, and biodiversity. The U.S. is the only country among the 193 UN members to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change. U.S. isolation harms its reputation, reduces its ability to contribute to global solutions, and erodes multilateralism.
2. Regain momentum in nuclear disarmament efforts. The U.S. and all other nuclear powers must comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to build confidence in negotiations.
3. Cooperate on new technologies.
4. Find a solution to the Middle East issue.
5. End the CIA's secret military operations.
6. Review the budget to ensure reasonable spending: cut U.S. military spending and increase the budget for domestic civilian programs.
7. Promote American Exceptionalism in a realistic way: specifically, that U.S. exceptionalism does not lie in military might, CIA operations, or withdrawal from UN Treaties, but in the cultural and ethnic diversity of the United States itself. America's openness to immigrants has brought new energy and ideas to the country and optimism for every generation. America's success will depend on a foreign policy that makes the U.S. a welcomed home by nations worldwide.

This book demonstrates the author's extensive research and deep foundational knowledge spanning historical, economic, security, and social issues, presented in a clear and accessible writing style. Overall, the author seeks to convey the message that it is time for the U.S. to abandon exceptionalism—a factor hindering development—if the country continues to be dominated by it and ignores the global cooperation efforts that desperately need investment; or to view exceptionalism in an open direction, with cultural and ethnic diversity as its core element.

The keyword "Vietnam" is mentioned quite often in the book, but mostly as a historical example related to wartime. However, based on what Jeffrey Sachs has shared, four prominent points can be linked to Vietnam's context:

Firstly, U.S. domestic politics are becoming increasingly polarized. The author's analysis of American exceptionalism and its influence reflects the key point of political division in the U.S.: ideology and identity. Based on this foundation, there are two debating factions regarding the grand strategy for America's future. One side argues that maintaining leadership is still necessary for global peace, prosperity, and democracy, and the U.S. needs to further expand its military commitments abroad. The other side argues that the U.S. should define and narrow its priorities for national interest, reduce global military commitments, and re-establish diplomacy as the main tool of foreign policy. Based on these two directions of debate, Vietnam needs to continue monitoring developments and trends and perform good forecasting work regarding the U.S. domestic situation and its approach to the world, in order to be proactive and timely in responding to this nation's new moves.

Secondly, the impact stemming from President Trump's personality and the continuation of American exceptionalism. If Trump were to secure another term, it is likely that Jeffrey Sachs's 10-step recommendations would not be adopted anytime soon, as the author has stated, "there is no hope with the Trump administration." In the coming time, Vietnam also needs to prepare foreign policy options with the U.S. to cope with unpredictable changes and fluctuations arising from U.S. domestic politics and from Trump's individual actions, especially regarding potentially unfavorable issues such as trade deficits, ideology, or peaceful evolution (diễn biến hòa bình).

Thirdly, the trends of sustainable development, Industry 4.0, and cooperation for global issues are heavily emphasized in this book. It is evident that no nation can stand outside the current global flow, and Vietnam is no exception. The impact of these trends on Vietnam's security, society, and economy is currently very strong and will continue to increase in the coming years. The important thing is that, based on their specific characteristics, nations must know how to exploit and leverage development trends, actively utilize the technological and technical revolution to become more modern, and gradually approach and reach high global standards.

Fourthly, in its capacity as a Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council (2020–2021), the issues Sachs mentions in the book such as: increasing the UN budget (mobilizing countries to contribute more based on GDP and seeking support from NGOs, international humanitarian organizations, businesses, and individuals); genuinely promoting the UN's role (reforming the UN Security Council beyond just the 5 Permanent members, giving more voice to small and middle states on political security issues); and promoting multilateral internationalism on a regional and global scale—all these can serve as suggestions for Vietnam during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (2020–2021).