KERA's Think The countries the U.S. and China can't write off
Dec 9, 2025
Emma Ashford, a foreign policy and international security expert at the Stimson Center, dives into the complexities of a multipolar world dominated by new powers like Russia and India. She critiques U.S. strategies and discusses how choices made by the U.S. have accelerated the decline of unipolarity. Ashford highlights the rising influence of BRICS nations, the limits of Biden's bipolar framing, and the importance of allies increasing their defense spending. She emphasizes that multipolarity can stabilize international relations while urging practical strategies for the U.S. moving forward.
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Polarity Is About Power Distribution Not Just Military
- Polarity labels (uni/bi/multipolar) describe how power is distributed, not just military strength.
- Most of history was multipolar; unipolarity and bipolarity are exceptions, so change is normal.
Unipolar Moment Gave The U.S. Exceptional Freedom
- After the Soviet collapse the U.S. enjoyed an unusually free unipolar era where it could project power widely.
- That unipolar moment let the U.S. act globally with few constraints for about three decades.
U.S. Choices Accelerated Global Shifts
- U.S. actions during the unipolar era sped up relative shifts in power and sometimes squandered influence.
- Examples include costly wars and economic choices that aided China's rise.
