Projects - American Statecraft
Foreign Policy for the Middle Class
About the Project

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has launched a multiyear research effort dedicated to exploring how U.S. foreign policy needs to change to better advance the economic well-being of America’s middle class.

Carnegie has convened a high-level bipartisan task force to oversee the effort and make concrete recommendations in mid-2020. Those recommendations aim to help national security professionals, policy planners, congressional staff, and presidential campaign teams test their assumptions about how Americans perceive and experience the economic effects of U.S. foreign policy.

The task force’s recommendations drew on data recently gathered by its research team and university partners in Ohio, Colorado, and Nebraska, on perceived and measurable economic effects of U.S. foreign policy at the state and local levels. The findings from Ohio were published in December 2018, and the findings from Colorado were published in November 2019. Those from Nebraska were published in May 2020. The final report took stock of the data and reflected on the implications, including on ongoing debates related to international trade and investment policy, economic competition with China, defense spending, foreign aid, and global cooperation to combat climate change.

Programs

American Statecraft

The American Statecraft Program develops and advances ideas for a more disciplined U.S. foreign policy aligned with American values and cognizant of the limits of American power in a more competitive world.

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Taskforce

Taskforce

Salman Ahmed

Senior Fellow
Geoeconomics and Strategy Program
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Allison Gelman

Research Assistant and Program Coordinator
Geoeconomics and Strategy Program
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Lt Gen (Retired) Douglas Lute

Distinguished Chair
West Point
And President Cambridge Global Advisors

Jake Sullivan

Nonresident Senior Fellow
Geoeconomics and Strategy Program
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Wendy Cutler

Vice President and Managing Director
Asia Society Policy Institute

David Gordon

Senior Advisor
Geoeconomics, Geopolitics, and Strategy
International Institute for Strategic Studies

Daniel M. Price

Managing Director
Rock Creek Global Advisors

Ashley J. Tellis

Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Rozlyn Engel

Nonresident Scholar
Geoeconomics and Strategy Program
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Jennifer Harris

Senior Fellow
Hewlett Foundation

Christopher Smart

Chief Global Strategist
Barings

Tom Wyler

Senior Vice President for Global Strategy
PSP Capital

All work from Foreign Policy for the Middle Class

7 Results
article
Tracking Biden’s Progress on a Foreign Policy for the Middle Class

Drilling down on how the pro–middle class foreign policy Biden promised would actually look is no easy task. Judging its success requires looking at not only public statements but also personnel choices, policy processes, and measured outcomes.

· April 6, 2021
report
Making U.S. Foreign Policy Work Better for the Middle Class

To help expand and sustain America’s middle class, U.S. foreign policy makers need a new agenda that will rebuild trust at home and abroad.

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· September 23, 2020
commentary
A U.S. Foreign Policy for the Middle Class

The United States must secure the benefits of a globalized economy while protecting itself from systemic shocks and supporting the economic renewal of middle-class communities.

· September 9, 2020
report
U.S. Foreign Policy for the Middle Class: Perspectives From Nebraska

As millions of Americans contend with lost wages and savings due to the coronavirus, the challenge of making U.S. foreign policy work harder for the middle class is even more vital.

  • +14
· May 21, 2020
report
U.S. Foreign Policy for the Middle Class: Perspectives from Colorado

While the U.S. economy has been growing and unemployment rates have fallen, too many Americans still struggle to sustain a middle-class lifestyle. Are changes to U.S. foreign policy required to better advance the economic well-being of America’s middle class?

  • +11
· November 5, 2019
Q&A
Is U.S. Foreign Policy Working for Ohio’s Middle Class?

Does the United States need to make big changes to its foreign policy in order to make middle class Americans economically better off? Looking at Ohio as a case study, Carnegie brought together a bipartisan group of former policymakers along with researchers from The Ohio State University to find out.

· December 13, 2018
report
U.S. Foreign Policy for the Middle Class: Perspectives From Ohio

Policymakers need to explore ways to make U.S. foreign policy work better for America’s middle class, even if their economic fortunes depend largely on domestic factors and policies.

  • +11
· December 10, 2018