
Lowy Institute Conversations: First among equals — How the US should adjust to a multipolar world
Sep 30, 2025
Emma Ashford, a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and adjunct professor at Georgetown, discusses her new book on U.S. foreign policy in a multipolar world. She stresses the importance of U.S. adaptation over maintaining its old unipolar mindset, examining the generational habits that hinder change. Ashford highlights China's hegemonic threat in Asia and the need to balance deterrence with avoiding war. She emphasizes the significance of Taiwan and suggests that the U.S. should re-evaluate its defense strategy, particularly in collaboration with allies like Australia.
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Unipolar Moment Is Over
- Emma Ashford argues the unipolar moment is over and the US must rethink its global role.
- She sees a multipolar world as navigable, not an existential decline for the United States.
Beltway Mindset Lags Reality
- Washington still clings to the worldview formed in the unipolar 1990s, making mindset shifts hard.
- Generational change and soul-searching after past failures are beginning to erode that outlook.
Public Debate Lags On China
- Public intellectual debate in the US hasn't fully internalized China as a core national-security rival.
- Economic arguments about China have gained traction, but core foreign-policy thinking still assumes liberal hegemony.




