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In The Media

Is America Overextending Itself?

The direction in which Washington seems to be heading is on one level a continuation of U.S. global primacy. But on another level, it’s something qualitatively different, where the United States faces real risks of a great-power conflict for the perpetual future.

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By Stephen Wertheim
Published on Aug 24, 2022
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American Statecraft

The American Statecraft Program develops and advances ideas for a more disciplined U.S. foreign policy aligned with American values and cognizant of the limits of American power in a more competitive world.

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Foreign Policy

About the Author

Stephen Wertheim

Senior Fellow, American Statecraft Program

Stephen Wertheim is a senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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Stephen Wertheim
Senior Fellow, American Statecraft Program
Stephen Wertheim
Foreign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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