100 Ideas for the First Hundred Days of the Biden Administration

#20: Renew the WTO

By: Robert Manning What is the kernel of the issue? The WTO is broken; its critical dispute settlement mechanism trade is at risk. The organization as a whole needs major reform. Why is the issue important? Since WWII trade, a rules-based system has been an engine of growth and prosperity. Now, the threat of a […]

#19: Make An Early Commitment to Seek a US-UK Free Trade Agreement

By: Hans Binnendijk What is the kernel of the issue? Brexit leaves the UK in a vulnerable economic position despite the last-minute free trade agreement with the EU. Why is the issue important? British analysts fear that the Biden administration will come into office with an anti-British bias due to the close Trump-Johnson relationship. What […]

#18: Ratify UNCLOS

By: Paul Saffo What is the kernel of the issue? UNCLOS—the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea—has languished unratified by the United States for 25 years despite the support of successive Administrations and interested parties from the US Chamber of Commerce to the Pentagon. Why is the issue important? This has left […]

#17: Harness Artificial Intelligence for Cooperation

By: Robert Manning What is the kernel of the issue? Artificial intelligence (AI) is like electricity: an enabling technology that, over the coming decades, will become a ubiquitous driver of economic growth and shaping legal, medical, educational, financial, and military sectors. Yet, it is largely ungoverned and unregulated. Why is the issue important? AI commercial […]

#16: Launch a Manhattan Project for Energy Storage

By: Robert Manning What is the kernel of the issue? The biggest single obstacle to scaling up intermittent renewable energy sources—wind and solar—as primary clean sources of electricity is cost and efficiency of energy storage. Why is the issue important? Breakthroughs in efficiency and cost of energy storage is critical to accelerating the transition to […]

#15: Bring back the US Information Agency to Counter Disinformation

By: Evan Cooper What is the kernel of the issue? The US faces a global landscape saturated with disinformation, much of which is aimed at undermining US leadership and weakening the US political system. Why is the issue important? There are a multitude of geopolitically important complex media environments into which information from credible US […]

#14: Significantly Expand and Strengthen the State Department

By: Evan Cooper What is the kernel of the issue? President Biden has outlined an ambitious foreign policy agenda, pledging to “elevate diplomacy as the premier tool of our global engagement.” Unfortunately, budget cuts and staff departures during the Trump administration have left the State Department unable to carry out Biden’s charge. Why is the […]

#13: Add a DNI Deputy Director for Domestic Coordination

By: Stephen Shapiro What is the kernel of the issue? The US government’s domestic intelligence efforts need reform. Over twenty agencies in and out of the intelligence community conduct domestic intelligence, yet there is no national domestic threat assessment, no unified cross-agency mission package, no responsible officer to manage and deconflict, no way to harmonize […]

#12: Upgrade American Alliances

By Harlan Ullman

What is the kernel of the issue? Under the last administration, the “America First” foreign policy diminished the importance and priority of America’s alliances in Europe and Asia, often undermining them in very damaging ways. Why is the issue important? This decade, alliances and partnerships are critical for ensuring peace, prosperity, and stability. The new […]

#11: Re-Energize the Expansion of the Global Middle Class

By: Mathew Burrows What is the kernel of the issue? For the first time in a half-century, the global middle class has started to shrink. Post-COVID-19, the global middle class will shrink by 120 million people.   Why is the issue important? Historically, the erosion of the middle class has led to periods of political […]