Despite all the noise about cyberwar, cybersecurity in the U.S. has gotten worse. Current U.S. strategies are inadequate to respond to, much less succeed against, threats from Russia and others. This status quo needs to change if Washington is to defend not only American democracy, but that of its allies.

President-elect Donald Trump will soon be confronted with global challenges that will test his popular campaign rhetoric of “America First.” Trump’s foreign policy team may find that agenda difficult to implement, since instability and conflict in other parts of the world do not respect state borders.

America’s traditional role in promoting democracy and human rights abroad has fallen out of favor in a serious way. Yet the cause remains urgent, more so than at any time in recent memory. The next president should embrace America’s historical role in promoting freedom and lay out a human rights agenda.