U.S. Foreign Policy Commission Touts Need for 'Smart Power'

WASHINGTON -- Across the world, "America may be less well regarded today than at any time in its history," according to a report issued last week by a bipartisan group of politicians and foreign policy experts. But "it is not too late to reverse these trends, even in the Arab and Muslim World," the report found.

The "Commission on Smart Power" that penned the report was convened by the Center for Strategic International Studies, a non-partisan think tank. Titled "A Smarter, More Secure America," the report calls on the next U.S. President to embrace three foreign policy themes to guide U.S. global engagement: "a renewed commitment to the United Nations, reinvigorating our alliances, and working to erase the perception that the United States has double standards when it comes to abiding by international law." ...