When policymakers in the United States declared in the aftermath of the Cold War that the age of “spheres of influence” had ended, were they misdiagnosing the issue? Strong countries throughout history have exerted influence over their neighbors—be it the US Monroe Doctrine or Russia and its Near Abroad. The Center for the National Interest, the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and Russia Matters, a project at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, have gathered leading experts to debate whether spheres of influence are a geopolitical force today, and if so, how US policymakers should respond.

Debating this issue will be Dr. Graham Allison, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard University. His article, “The New Spheres of Influence,” was published in the March/April edition of Foreign Affairs, and Paul Saunders, Senior Fellow, the Center for the National Interest. His article, “US Embrace of Great Power Competition Also Means Contending with Spheres of Influence,” was published on the Russia Matters site in February. In response, Ambassador Steven Pifer, William J. Perry Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University, and non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, argued against accepting spheres of influence in a reply to Saunders published on Russia Matters. He will be joined by Ambassador John Herbst, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, a strong opponent of ceding spheres of influence to America’s rivals.  

The event is introduced by Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and features short presentations by each of the panelists, followed by a question-and-answer session with guests, moderated by George Beebe, Vice President and Director of Studies, the Center for the National Interest.  

The new spheres of influence: Sharing the globe with other great powers

China and Russia have carved out their own spheres of influence; like it or not, the United States will have to adjust to this new reality.

Contending with—not accepting—spheres of influence

Washington has no choice but to contend with Russia’s great power aspirations and desire for a sphere of influence. It should not, however, accept that push for a sphere of influence.

US embrace of great power competition also means contending with spheres of influence

The global political system is emerging from an unusual period of American quasi-unipolarity and entering a period in which the United States will have to work much harder to have its way and will not be able to expend such effort everywhere.

Staff

John E. Herbst

Senior Director

Eurasia Center

Ukraine Politics & Diplomacy

Staff

Matthew Kroenig

Vice President and Senior Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

China Defense Policy

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The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting policies that strengthen stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.

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