what a great idea

Michael Mandelbaum writes: In order to cope with the conditions of the new world in which the United States finds itself—in order, that is, successfully to deter China, Russia, and Iran—the next American President must first forge a consensus in the United States in favor of such policies, including a consensus on the role of the nation’s allies. In conducting American foreign policy in this new-old world of power politics, that may prove to be the hardest task of all. – The American Interest

Jackson Diehl writes: Outside the administration, not many people believe Iraq and Syria can survive in their present form. At a minimum, they will have to become loose federations, like Bosnia after the Yugoslav wars. Who will devise those solutions, and how will they be brought into being? On that, this U.S. president is punting — which means the would-be successors to Sykes and Picot must wait for another year. – Washington Post
 
Anne Applebaum writes: The world would be safer and richer if we stopped laundering the money that helped create those kleptocracies in the first place. But like addicts or alcoholics, we’ll first need to admit that we have a problem before we can really begin to solve it. – Washington Post’s PostPartisan

Editorial: [N]o matter who takes the Oval Office, it will demand courage and difficult decisions to save the liberal international order. As a new report from the Center for a New American Security points out, this order is worth saving, and it is worth reminding ourselves why – Washington Post
 
Fred Hiatt writes: [I]t would be healthy for the country, and the next president, to move beyond make-believe. There is no “quickly, quickly” defeating Islamist terrorism — and there is no safe way to retreat from the challenge of combating it for the long term. – Washington Post