Regional Seminar: American Leadership & National Security

The Founders grappled with how their nascent nation should engage with the world in the aftermath of the American Revolution. George Washington warned against entangling foreign alliances at a time when the United States was militarily weak, Europe was consumed by great-power conflict, and permanent alliances posed existential risks shaped by centuries of war. By contrast, the post–World War II order—anchored by strong alliances and the moral confidence of Western civilization—helped secure peace, expand prosperity, and restrain tyranny across much of the world. This program will examine why sustained American leadership and robust alliances remain essential not only to U.S. interests but to the preservation of freedom and human dignity worldwide.