Symposium reports

Beyond exceptionalism? The United States in a multi-polar world
Elena Jurado & Priya Shankar

Beyond exceptionalism? The United States in a multi-polar world

By announcing their intention to "reset" relations with Russia and hold direct talks with Iran and North Korea, the Obama administration has actively sought to embrace multilateralism. Around the world, this new willingness to engage has been welcomed with enthusiasm, especially following the unilateralist policies of the Bush years.

However, as this paper argues, tensions between multilateralism and unilateralism in US foreign policy continue to exist under the Obama administration. This is evident across three policy areas that have been utmost priority for the US government: the global financial crisis, the security threats in Afghanistan and Pakistan; and the existential challenges of climate change and non-proliferation. The United States approaches each of these issues with a sense of its own unique exceptionalism, which has historically provided the framework for US engagement with the rest of the world. As different powers rise and the world becomes multi-polar, a policy of engagement shaped around exceptionalism will become more difficult to sustain.