Project
Testing Assumptions in US Foreign Policy
Reassessing some of the foundational beliefs that guide US foreign policy
About the Project
The project on testing assumptions in US foreign policy explores some of the deep-seated beliefs that guide US foreign policy and questions conventional wisdom. By exposing these assumptions to close scrutiny, the project seeks to generate a more lively, fruitful, and effective strategic dialogue to shape future US foreign policy.
Research & Writing
Report
Examining and refuting arguments in support of nuclear superiority.
April 16, 2026
Commentary
Members of the Reimagining US Grand Strategy team and other Stimson programs examine key assumptions about U.S. foreign policy that will be tested this year.
February 12, 2026
Commentary
Experts provide insight on the new National Security Strategy and its approach to key U.S. foreign policy issues.
December 9, 2025
Commentary
Bellicose moves by the United States in the Caribbean come with extensive risks.
October 10, 2025
Remarks
Examining how nuclear weapons have shaped international politics over the last eight decades.
July 31, 2025
Commentary
A focus on lethality in war distracts from the strategic objectives that war is supposed to serve.
June 24, 2025
Commentary
Members of the Reimagining US Grand Strategy team examine key assumptions about US foreign policy that will be tested this year.
February 14, 2025
Policy Memo
In an increasingly multipolar world, U.S. policy must lean into rebuilding at home and shifting the burden to capable allies abroad.
November 19, 2024
Op-Ed
The parties seem to be realigning on questions of war and peace, but it’s not clear how consequential the results will be for anxious allies in Europe and Asia.
November 1, 2024
Op-Ed
The Democratic National Convention did not shed much light on what a Harris administration’s global outlook would be.
August 30, 2024
Project Note
A fresh idea for how the United States should promote infrastructure development won this year’s 2024 competition.
July 10, 2024
Commentary
US-led global infrastructure development can help repair the country’s damaged reputation.
July 9, 2024
Op-Ed
Amid chaos in Congress and an election campaign, the Biden administration may be forced to reconsider the viability of its approach toward Kyiv.
February 16, 2024
Commentary
Members of the Reimagining US Grand Strategy team examine key assumptions about US foreign policy that will be tested this year.
January 16, 2024
Commentary
Africa’s growing space ambitions and untapped potential mark an unprecedented opportunity to see what space can achieve for the common good
November 15, 2023
Commentary
The United States cannot remain a monolith if it wants countries to follow its norms, principles, and rules in a new age of space competition
November 6, 2023
Commentary
Japan’s commercial and national space programs will be facing challenges around governance and the democratization of space on the horizon
November 3, 2023
Commentary
Seeking to address the safety and security of space activates, Middle Eastern countries have begun to rapidly develop their space capabilities
November 3, 2023
Commentary
As countries vie for control over lunar space, India must adapt its policy and continue to lead among its international competitors
November 2, 2023
Commentary
A cooperative international approach is needed to manage the many new commercial players operating in space
November 2, 2023
Commentary
Compounding challenges around space strategy and governance require European states to adapt their current approaches to space policy
November 1, 2023
Commentary
An international treaty banning destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile tests is possible with the right support
October 30, 2023
Commentary
A unilateral approach to space governance cannot work in the current international system.
October 30, 2023
Op-Ed
The status quo is unworkable, but no one appears to be offering viable long-term solutions.
October 13, 2023
Policy Paper
Common views about multipolarity and its risks for the United States are misleading
October 2, 2023
Project Note
Students from across the country submitted ideas for how the United States could improve its standing in the world.
May 16, 2023
Commentary
As engagement in space increases, the United States can become a leader by addressing orbital debris through compliance
May 16, 2023
Commentary
How have Washington’s common wisdoms — and ours — about Ukraine held up?
February 15, 2023
Policy Paper
Defense is inherently the stronger form of air warfare, and new and emerging technologies and tactics are only strengthening the defender’s advantage
January 25, 2023
Policy Paper
The use of US power to advance democracy is a worthwhile cause, but policymakers should reassess what works, and why.
December 9, 2021
Policy Paper
Americans should welcome and encourage others, especially US allies and partners, to play a more active role in regional and global affairs.
November 3, 2021
Policy Paper
How policymakers communicate strategy to various constituencies is an important corollary of their success or failure.
March 4, 2021
Policy Paper
Though these states are presumed to be creating a dangerous new era of great-power competition, it is an assumption with remarkably limited evidence to back it up.
February 3, 2021
