Aid, Alliances, and Advantage: The Case for Self-Interest, Rightly Understood

In her talk, "Aid, Alliances, and Advantage: The Case for Self-Interest, Rightly Understood," Ambassador Power made use of Alexis de Tocqueville’s concept of “self-interest, rightly understood” to examine the United States’ recent turn away from foreign assistance, European alliances and other traditional mainstays in U.S. foreign policy. Drawing on her experience as Administrator of USAID (2021–2025) and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2013–2017), Power argued that self-interest need not be zero-sum. She will mine previous historical debates about U.S. foreign assistance and alliances to show how domestic political concerns can be addressed and a conception of enlightened self-interest can be advanced. Even in our politically polarized era, she will argue that “self-interest, rightly understood” should be revived as a guiding principle for U.S. foreign policy in an increasingly interconnected and perilous world.