November 13, 2015 | Miller Center, University of Virginia
On October 15, EPPC Senior Fellow Henry Olsen took part in a panel discussion as part of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center’s “The First Year: POTUS 2017” project.
Here’s an excerpt from the Miller Center’s description of the event:
Moderator Ann Compton, the former longtime White House correspondent for ABC News, gave the participants the opportunity to list three top agenda items. But Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, had only one on his list. In the first video excerpt, Olsen talks about the first thing the next president should do.
Olsen stressed that he would advise the next president to develop and define a strategy for U.S. involvement in the world. The United States needs to be able to articulate why the country is involved with world, how it wants to be involved, and with whom, Olsen argued. This strategy will provide a roadmap for the president’s foreign policy team as they plan for and respond to events.
The very nature of the presidency, especially during the crucial first year, is that it is hard to predict events. The president might believe that he or she is going to focus on one issue, such as immigration, only to be diverted by a crisis, such as the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Olsen’s advice to craft a strategy for world involvement helps the president be less reactive and more cohesive in how she or he deals with complex, unpredictable areas of the world such as the Middle East and Asia.
Click below to watch video excerpts of the discussion, and click here for more information at the First Year 2017 website.
