Daniel F. Runde

Foreign policy experts tend to focus on military might to secure global stability. But Dan Runde, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, argues that it’s soft power the U.S. must wield to successfully confront China and Russia.

“The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership through Soft Power” is written through the lens of what Runde calls “conservative internationalism.” Globalization is not only inevitable, but vital, Runde writes, and the U.S. should use every tool to move developing nations toward self-reliance both for their own good and their viability as allies and partners.

In this episode of the Devex Book Club, Runde talks with Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar about the conservative approach to global development, the ascendency of China and Russia, and why the U.S. needs to step up if it wants to regain global leadership. Listen here.