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179 World Affs. 4 (2016)

handle is hein.journals/wrldaf179 and id is 1 raw text is: LETTER FROM THE EDITOR James S. Denton Readers of World Affairs (WA) know there is no shortage of danger or complexity in the challenges abroad that await the next American president. So, with the race to succeed President Obama entering its end game (and with the narrowing choices becoming increasingly troubling), we asked a handful of contributors to offer their thoughts on the perils and promise lurking behind today's headlines, the understanding of which will be a key to the success of the next U.S. president's foreign policy. They did not disappoint. The responses we got were surprising only in the depth of the insights they offered. NPR's Tom Gjelten, a savvy observer of contemporary America whose essays have graced our pages often, writes that with population diversity and political polarization reaching an all-time high in America, and that with more war certainly in our future, the next president will be wise to reclaim American exceptionalism as a unifying force in this time of division and realignment. Australian commentator John Lee writes that after a period of deteri- orating influence in Asia, the United States is reemerging as the region's central economic and unifying security force in the wake of China's eco- nomic slowdown, military build-up, and increasingly abrasive diplomacy. However, all is not so tidy in the European Union. Alina Polyakova and Anton Shekhovtsov write that the sense of purpose that was fused on the continent in the aftermath of the Second World War (and renewed after the Cold War) is now poised on the brink of disintegration as ref- ugees, stagnant economies, the threat of terrorism, and alienation from Brussels are fueling rising extremism, nationalism, and isolationism. Profoundly differing visions have emerged in Europe, a condition that could undo Europe's liberal order as well as the transatlantic partner- ship-the first building block upon which the West's prosperity and security is built. 4 WORLD AFFAIRS