Planning to Win: An Analysis of US Strategy

As America’s adversaries grow stronger and more assertive, America’s relative advantages deteriorate, and the Western world’s “holiday from history” comes to an end, the United States will need to marshal its resources and employ them more effectively to defend its people, its allies, and their way of life. Strategy, the process by which the country’s leadership does that, is becoming more important, but the geopolitical, economic, technological, religious, and ideological shifts that are making global affairs more complex are also making strategy harder to do. How should policymakers categorize and analyze these changes? How does the government try to mitigate the threats posed by these shifting factors, and is that the best way forward? Through advanced seminars and a policy simulation, we will explore what strategy is, how the U.S. government tries to create strategies, and how that influences America’s geopolitical rivalries.

In coordination with their peers, candidates will participate in an in-depth tabletop exercise informed by the workshop’s readings and discussions. During this simulation, candidates will be asked to craft policy responses to a hypothetical crisis.

Highlighted Modules

• What is Industrial Policy?

• The Fall and Rise of the U.S. Industrial Base

• Debating the Return of Industrial Policy

Candidates will showcase their newly gained policy insight by completing their choice of an op-ed or policy memo. Projects are due a week after the end of program and will be assessed by committee upon the basis of their strategic soundness, original analysis, and grasp of the policy area. The quality of this project will determine if candidates are awarded the certification.

Our Policy Certificate Program is seeking an accomplished cohort of early career professionals who demonstrate capability and interest in American foreign and domestic policy issues. The selection committee will consider a candidate's subject matter expertise, creative thinking, writing ability, and professional background. Applicants should meet the following criteria: -Undergraduate degree holder -Professional Experience -Demonstrated policy expertise in one or more relevant areas -Highly competent writer and researcher