The Midwest Assembly convened at Northwestern University October 18-20, 2007. The Fellows’ report claims that the federal government is ill equipped to respond to the current threats and opportunities that globalization presents. The networks and technological advances that connect local actors (such as NGOs and private sector and sub-national entities) with pressing global issues can provide blueprints to reinvigorate older, national governments and international institutions. The Fellows believed that the U.S. government must take advantage of these innovations and realize its crucial role in leading and partnering with other international entities.