American diplomacy is in shambles under Trump, but beneath the daily chaos is an erosion of the postwar order that is even more dangerous.
About the Expert
Expert Bio
James M. Lindsay is senior vice president, director of studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg chair at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), where he oversees the work of the more than six dozen fellows in the David Rockefeller Studies Program. He is a leading authority on the American foreign policymaking process and the domestic politics of American foreign policy.
Before returning to CFR in 2009, Dr. Lindsay was the inaugural director of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin, where he held the Tom Slick chair for international affairs at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. From 2003 to 2006, he was vice president, director of studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg chair at CFR. He previously served as deputy director and senior fellow in the foreign policy studies program at the Brookings Institution. From 1987 until 1999, he was a professor of political science at the University of Iowa.
From 1996 to 1997, Dr. Lindsay served as director for global issues and multilateral affairs on the staff of the National Security Council. He has also served as a consultant to the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century (Hart-Rudman Commission) and as a staff expert for the United States Institute of Peace's congressionally mandated Task Force on the United Nations.
Dr. Lindsay has written widely on various aspects of American foreign policy and international relations. His most recent book, co-authored with Ivo H. Daalder, is The Empty Throne: America’s Abdication of Global Leadership. His previous book with Ambassador Daalder, America Unbound: The Bush Revolution in Foreign Policy, was awarded the 2003 Lionel Gelber Prize, named a finalist for the Arthur S. Ross Book Award, and selected as a top book of 2003 by the Economist. Dr. Lindsay’s other books include Agenda for the Nation (with Henry J. Aaron and Pietro S. Nivola), which was named an "Outstanding Academic Book of 2004" by Choice Magazine, and Congress and the Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy. He has also contributed articles to many major newspapers and magazines, including Foreign Affairs, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. He writes the blog The Water's Edge, which discusses the politics of American foreign policy and the domestic underpinnings of American global power. He hosts the weekly podcast, The President’s Inbox, and co-hosts the weekly podcast, The World Next Week.
Dr. Lindsay holds an AB in economics and political science from the University of Michigan and an MA, MPhil, and PhD from Yale University. He has been a fellow at the Center for International Affairs and the Center for Science and International Affairs, both at Harvard University. He is a recipient of the Pew Faculty Fellowship in International Affairs and CFR International Affairs Fellowship. He is a member of CFR.
Dr. Lindsay was born and raised in Massachusetts and lives in Washington, DC.
Featured
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This workshop, held with generous support from the Sejong Institute, brings together prominent U.S. and South Korean specialists to discuss what can be done to break the diplomatic stalemate with North Korea.
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In CFR's first inaugural Master Class Series virtual meeting, James M. Lindsay discusses the role of Congress in shaping U.S. foreign policy, relationships with other countries, and America’s standing in the world.
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Panelists provide an update on the 2020 presidential race, the role of foreign policy in the upcoming primaries, and the international challenges the Democratic presidential candidates will need to address if they are elected president.
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Alice C. Hill and Leonardo Martinez-Diaz discuss their new book, Building A Resilient Tomorrow: How To Prepare For The Coming Climate Disruption. Decision-makers at all levels of government and business have been actively seeking ways to help communities build resilience to the impacts of climate change. In their book, Hill and Martinez-Diaz offer concrete, actionable policy recommendations and behind-the-scenes stories from their personal experiences in the U.S. government.
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The 2019 CFR annual Back-to-School Event celebrated the tenth anniversary of the podcast The World Next Week with a live taping before a student audience. CFR Senior Vice President James M. Lindsay, CFR.org Managing Editor Robert McMahon, and Deborah S. Amos of NPR and Princeton University looked back at the last decade and discussed the decline of democracy, the Middle East, and U.S.-China relations.
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As the opening session of the 2019 College and University Educators Workshop, Reuben E. Brigety II, Elizabeth C. Economy, and Suzanne Maloney discuss the global outlook for the year ahead, with James M. Lindsay.
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Chike Aguh, principal of strategy and product integration at McChrystal Group; Diana Farrell, founding president and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase Institute; and Alexandra Fuenmayor Starr, Spencer fellow at Columbia Journalism School, discuss U.S. economic competitiveness.
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Ivo H. Daalder and James M. Lindsay present their new book, The Empty Throne: America’s Abdication of Global Leadership, which argues that the world order the United States created and led for seven decades was fraying when Donald J. Trump took office.
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This is the keynote session of the 2018 International Affairs Fellowship (IAF) Conference.
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As the opening plenary session of the 2018 College and University Educators Workshop, Tamar Gutner and Stewart M. Patrick discuss the current state of global governance and the Trump administration's approach to international organizations and multilateralism, with James M. Lindsay.
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Panelists discuss the fiftieth anniversary of the Tet Offensive, launched in late January 1968, and the lessons learned or forgotten from the Vietnam War for the United States today.
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Scott Snyder discusses his new book, South Korea at the Crossroads: Autonomy and Alliance in an Era of Rival Powers. Snyder examines the trajectory of fifty years of South Korean foreign policy and offers predictions—and a prescription—for the future.
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Philip H. Gordon, Farah Pandith, and James M. Lindsay discuss the future of the Middle East.
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Experts discuss the state of the world.
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Ray Takeyh and Steven Simon discuss their new book.
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Robert D. Blackwill and Jennifer M. Harris discuss War by Other Means, their new book on why the United States must strategically integrate economic and financial instruments into its foreign policy or risk losing ground as a world power.
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Experts address current transformations of Asia’s strategic landscape, and how the return of geopolitics affects regional peace and security.
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Fred Kaplan discusses his new book, 'Dark Territory.'
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Micah Zenko discusses his new book, "Red Team: How to Succeed By Thinking Like the Enemy."