Foreign Policy Initiative

The Foreign Policy Initiative is a think tank with influential neoconservative leadership, concerned with the stresses on the United States and its allies from "rising and resurgent powers, including China and Russia. They come from other autocracies that violate the rights of their citizens. They come from rogue states that work with each other in ways inimical to our interests and principles, and that sponsor terrorism and pursue weapons of mass destruction. They come from Al Qaeda and its affiliates who continue to plot attacks against the United States and our allies. They come from failed states that serve as havens for terrorists and criminals and spread instability to their neighbors."

Since there are active conflicts across the world, the Initiative warns that it is impossible to return to pre-9-11 Attacks normalcy. Neither isolationism, nor, in the other direction, strategic overreach a feasible alternative. Its objectives are:

• continued U.S. engagement, using all the mechanisms of grand strategy, "in the world and rejection of policies that would lead us down the path to isolationism;
• "robust support for America’s democratic allies and opposition to rogue regimes that threaten American interests";
• supporting the human rights of those oppressed by their governments, and U.S. leadership in working to spread political and economic freedom;
• a strong military with the defense budget needed to ensure that America is ready to confront the threats of the 21st century;
• international economic engagement as a key element of U.S. foreign policy in this time of great economic dislocation.

Activities and publications

In an effort to "educate leaders and policymakers about how to meet the global challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) conducts briefings for candidates of both political parties, as well as sitting members of Congress and their staff of both political parties." The briefing book used for these sessions is available on the FPI website.

FPI publishes an Overnight Brief news summary distributed by email.

Positioning

Writing for the Thinkprogress blog of the liberal Center for American Progress, Matt Duss described Keep America Safe, a group founded by Liz Cheney, as linked to FPI, an "attempt to reboot and rebrand the neoconservative Project for the New American Century (PNAC)." He suggested this group will "essentially function as the street-fighting arm of the more 'serious', policy-oriented FPI."