Twenty years have passed since the Cold War grand strategy of containment accomplished its objective. After four presidents and ten Congresses, Washington has yet to articulate a formula capable of promoting the general welfare and providing for the common defense--for either ourselves or our posterity. Today our economy is hollowed out, our military is over-extended and the global ecosystem is fast approaching depletion.

The Smart Strategy Initiative seeks to provoke a new discourse across the United States and world capitals on three topics: the central challenge facing the United States and the great powers in the first half of the 21st Century; the nature and function of grand strategy in today's constitutional democracy and market economy; and, finally, the contours of a new grand strategy capable of forging a prosperous, secure and sustainable future for the American Experiment and the community of nations.