International Policy
Current Projects
The American Assembly is proud to continue its sponsorship of the U.S. Air
Force Academy’s annual Assembly of undergraduates for discussions on issues
of great contemporary significance. This year, the fifty-nine year old
partnership produced “U.S. – China Relations: Conflict or Cooperat...
"There is no greater responsibility than preparing the next generation of
American and world leaders, and it is one the Next Generation Project has
fully embraced." -- Lee Hamilton, President and Director of the Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars, and member of the NGP Senior
A...
Around the time of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, this
collaboration between The American Assembly and The United Nations
Association gathered experts in government, economics, law, and military to
explore the issues surrounding debates within the United States concerning
t...
Past Projects
“It is by now evident that Canada is losing influence in Washington,”
says The Assembly’s report on Renewing the U.S.-Canada Relationship. “At
the same time that Canada has lost clout in Washington, U.S. leadership’s
judgment post 9/11 has been met with skepticism and even hostility ...
This project sought to refocus the attention of North and Latin America and
the Caribbean towards the idea of common hemispheric objectives. The first
two phases dealt with U.S. interests in the region and the final two phases
incorporated Latina American and Caribbean participants to discuss ...
Convened in 1998 after NAFTA and other trade agreements greatly increased
commerce between the United States and Latin American nations, the U.S.
National Interests and the Western Hemisphere project and report sought out a
longterm vision for relations between the two continents.
Participa...
This 1997 project looked beyond common media images of Africa to focus
on the continent's dramatic political and economic transformations.
Participants urged the creation of an Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for
Africa post as well as increased federal and presidential engagement with...
The China-U.S. Relations series was a four-phase project that ran from
1996 to 1998. Phase I involved a June 1996 visit by the project leadership
with officials from China and its six principal neighbors. Phase II was held
in Harriman, New York, while Phase III and Phase IV were bilater...
After the collapse of the Soviet system, the United States was presented with
the opportunity of a political and military shift in the heartland of
Eurasia. This 1992 project sought to discuss the potential of filling that
void the Soviet states left behind, while taking into account t...
During the Cold War, American national security seemed clearly defined: to
protect against the overarching threat of the Soviet Union and Communist
expansion. With the demise of Communism, America was forced to reconsider
its role in the world as dramatically as it did after victory in W...
Publications
The first report in the Next Generation Project series.
...
This 1995 book came in the wake of tragic developments in Bosnia,
Haiti, and Rwanda, revealing just how urgent these issues are--as experts in
the field show in these timely and thought-provoking essays.
The influx of refugees, asylum seekers, and other international migrants is
increasing...
The second report in the series.
...
This report from a 1994 Assembly was written in the wake of disturbing
international emergencies in Bosnia, Haiti, Rwanda, and other nations. The
report advocated identifying instruments of U.S. foreign policy that can
reduce unwanted migration, with promotion of human rights and achievemen...
The third report in the series.
...
During the Cold War, American national security seemed clearly defined: to
protect against the overarching threat of the Soviet Union and Communist
expansion. With the demise of Communism, America was forced to reconsider
its role in the world as dramatically as it did after victory in W...
The fourth report in the series.
...
Published in 1996 on the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, this
collaboration between The American Assembly and The United Nations
Association has experts in government, economics, law, and military explore
the issues surrounding the UN that have created such a heated debate within
t...
The culminating report of The Next Generation Project series.
...
During the Cold War, American national security seemed clearly defined: to
protect against the overarching threat of the Soviet Union and Communist
expansion. With the demise of Communism, America was forced to reconsider
its role in the world as dramatically as it did after victory in W...
Relations between the United States and Canada have fallen into a noticeably
cyclical pattern over the past half century or so. The American Assembly has
examined issues between these two neighbors previously in 1964, 1984 and
again with this Assembly in 2005.
...
Around the time of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, this
collaboration between The American Assembly and The United Nations
Association gathered experts in government, economics, law, and military to
explore the issues surrounding debates within the United States concerning
t...
Three one-day meetings held at the Meridian International Center in
Washington, DC in late 2009 and 2010 and co-sponsored with the Center for a
New American Security addressed the topics of “Obama – One Year Later,"
"U.S. Global Policy: Challenges to Building a 21st Century Grand Strategy,...
After the collapse of the Soviet system, the United States was presented with
the opportunity of a political and military shift in the heartland of
Eurasia. This 1992 report discussed the potential of filling that void
the Soviet states left behind, while taking into account the econ...
This project sought to refocus the attention of North and Latin America and
the Caribbean towards the idea of common hemispheric objectives. The first
two phases dealt with U.S. interests in the region and the final two phases
incorporated Latin American and Caribbean participants to discuss i...
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 inevitably led to power struggles in
the fifteen successor republics, raising the specter of chaos in Eurasia.
In this early 1992 collection of original essays sponsored by Columbia's
Harriman Institute and The American Assembly, scholars assess the p...
Canada and Mexico are our first and second largest trading partners. We sell
more to Brazil than to China, more to Chile than to India. Venezuela is our
number-one energy supplier. But the relationship goes well beyond
economics. We are inextricably and increasingly linked politically by
...
Since the 1987 inception of the Constitution, the social and economic fabric
of the United States has been vastly transformed, as has the role of the
United States in global affairs. Is the government created centuries ago in
Philadelphia still workable today? Is the separation of powers bet...
This 1997 project looked beyond common media images of Africa to focus
on the continent's dramatic political and economic transformations.
Participants urged the creation of an Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for
Africa post as well as increased federal and presidential engagement with...
This 1997 project looked beyond common negative media images of Africa to
focus on the continent's dramatic political and economic transformations.
Participants urged the creation of an Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for
Africa post as well as increased federal and presidential engage...
Travis Beal Jacobs, the leading scholar of Eisenhower's presidency at
Columbia University, has researched, in extraordinary detail, Eisenhower's
conception for The American Assembly, his campaign for its support, and the
events that led to the Assembly's inaugural meeting in Harriman, New Yor...
At this critical point in the history of U.S.-China relations, Living with
China offers an essential assessment of U.S. foreign policy. From Taiwan,
Hong Kong, Tibet, and the legacy of Tiananmen Square to trade, markets, and
commercial diplomacy, these essays address the complex web of issues...
Convened in 1998 after NAFTA and other trade agreements greatly increased
commerce between the United States and Latin American nations, the U.S.
National Interests and the Western Hemisphere project and report sought out a
longterm vision for relations between the two continents.
Participa...
The report from a November 1996 Assembly meeting concluded that a
revitalized approach to U.S. relations with China includes challenging the
common idea that China's policies across the board run counter to U.S.
interests. Participants also felt that the threat of sanctions is often
c...
The report from this February 1998 meeting discusses potential
reunification of North and South Korea, bilateral arms control treaties, and
the fact that Taiwan is indeed a part of China. Participants also agreed that
China be admitted into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and that if h...
