Foreword

Twenty years ago, in Winter-Spring 1989, the SAIS Review published an edition entitled “Necessity and Choice for a New Administration.” The topics covered in that volume were strikingly familiar, ranging from the emergence of international relations from the shadow of a two-term presidency, new opportunities to engage Middle Eastern countries in a lasting peace process, and the emerging threat of “populist Islam.” The coming transition to a new U.S. administration will be a fascinating process to observe here in Washington, with the potential to impact billions of people around the world through policy. The arrival of a new U.S. President on January 20, 2009, will bring exciting new initiatives and new relationships, resulting in new outcomes to be studied, tested, and debated in the years ahead.

This edition began with interest in a specific issue that has been strongly debated in the United States throughout the term of George W. Bush, and some of our authors will argue sorely neglected. The willingness of the incumbent administration to pursue a unilateral agenda has, for better or worse, changed the way the world perceives the intentions of its sole remaining superpower. There have been major advances toward building the architecture of multilateralism since the end of the Cold War, including major reform initiatives at some of the headlining international organizations including the UN, World Bank, and IMF, and a proliferation of regimes designed to manage transnational issues ranging from climate change to the International Criminal Court. From the rise of China and reemergence of Russia to increasingly important hemispheric relations with Brazil and the Latin American leftists, the incoming administration will immediately be confronted by the opportunities and challenges posed by multilateral engagement.

This issue begins with a discussion of the virtue of multilateralism. Margaret Karns and Ambassador James Wilkinson strongly advocate for the new administration to reengage the world and rise to a role of respected leadership within the multilateral framework, while Jakub Grygiel argues the need for caution in embracing international organizations, noting that to engage in these tools of foreign policy should not be viewed as a victory unto itself.

In the second section we invite prominent and rising scholars to share their insight on areas of opportunity for the U.S. to lead, should the next President decide to champion one or many multilateral issues. Leo Hindery, Jeffery Sachs, and Gayle Smith argue for the reorganization and reprioritization of America’s development programs. Maria Ivanova and Daniel Esty offer a comprehensive review of environmental topics ripe for U.S. leadership, while Peter Danchin encourages the incoming administration to reevaluate the American precedent for participation in the international legal system.

In the third section, we evaluate existing international organizations and regimes to provide our field with better insight into the effectiveness of existing international regimes. Darren Hawkins advocates for a refocused and more pragmatic approach to the International Criminal Court. Bumba Mukherjee outlines policies the U.S. could pursue to make the World Bank and IMF more effective in their missions. Moonhawk Kim provides an analysis of the movement to contest the legitimacy of the international financial institutions. Suh-Yong Chung presents the challenges of developing an effective regional treaty framework in his assessment of NEASPEC.

Finally, we are pleased to introduce the first ‘Endnote’ to this issue, intended to be a final comment on a topical issue by the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor for 2009, Matthew Kaczmarek, provides a thought on the importance of continued U.S. leadership in the global economy.

The SAIS Review is pleased to congratulate the winners of the SAIS Review Prize: Renee Gardner Sewell for Essay, John O’Bryan for Photo Essay, and Susan Keppelman for Book Review.

We are thoroughly indebted to our advisory board for sharing their wisdom and guidance throughout 2008, and congratulate our successor senior editors, who will lead this publication to new achievements in 2009: Matthew Kaczmarek, Lauren Witlin, and Elizabeth Allen.

Finally, our strongest gratitude goes to the entire staff of associate and assistant editors for their hard work and dedication in the production of this edition.

In their foreword...